


The world doesn't need me anymore

by FlameRP



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - No Bending, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, F/F, Multi, Polyamorous Character, Self-Harm, Suicidal Thoughts, Suicide Attempt
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-17
Updated: 2017-12-10
Packaged: 2018-12-30 13:54:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 14
Words: 21,520
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12110160
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FlameRP/pseuds/FlameRP
Summary: Amon won. Vaatu wonAmon had succeeded in equalising the world, Vaatu had succeeded in corrupting it. Without bending or the avatar, the world developed at an unprecedented rate. But there are additional changes in store for the worldAnother random idea that I had a few nights ago[Returning readers who have read past chapter four: I forgot to upload a chapter so please do go back and read the new chapter four ('education')]





	1. London

Amon had won. Vaatu had won.

Amon had succeeded in equalising the world, Vaatu had succeeded in corrupting it. Republic City as it was once called became renamed, it became known as New York. Various other localities had been stripped of their heritage over the years and renamed as more and more people forgot what they had lost.

Asami Sato, a brilliant young engineer and the daughter of Hiroshi Sato had been wandering through the streets of her hometown, London. It was late afternoon and she found herself in an unfamiliar square. “Ba Sing Se Palace Square?” she pondered to herself before she looked around, other than that palace people came to see the buildings in the square looked utterly ancient, the palace looked spotless and as if it had been built the day before. Despite its attraction to tourists and despite her seeing it thousands of times from her father's personal plane, she had never actually been there and it looked so different from how it looked on the postcards or from the air. She looked around again and observed that nobody was taking any notice of what she was standing in front of. “Hey!” she called out to a man with a red scarf  
“What?” the man turned, irritated. He was going to be late for his night shift anyway so he didn't really need any further delays  
“What do you think of this?” Asami pointed at the sign  
“Ba Sing Se? Never heard of it” the man growled, “but there's a palace over there and it's called Buckingham Palace” he added  
“Then why does it say Ba Sing Se Palace?”  
“No idea, now excuse me, I've gotta go” he hurried off but Asami heard the man whisper “bloody tourists” to himself  
“Jackass” Asami muttered to herself, wishing her crush was there to protect her

Asami wandered around the square a little and she saw a building on the edge of the square so she went up to it, the door was unlocked surprisingly and what was even more surprising was that the crowd had been completely ignoring it. She gently pushed on the door and it creaked open. Asami pulled her taser out of her pocket and armed it before she went through the door. She followed a path that gently sloped downward and eventually led into a tunnel where the only light came from some shards of crystal along the walls. “This is beautiful” she smiled before she felt chilly and had to put her coat on. Asami walked forwards cautiously and, after twenty minutes, she found herself in a big cavern. “Crossroads of Destiny” she read out loud to herself, there was a lot of damage to this cavern, shards of crystal were scattered all over the place and she saw damage that looked similar to that of an explosion. “What happened here?!” she muttered. There was further writing but it was badly worn, ‘the crossr... ... Destiny, where Aa... And Azu..., along with her brot... Zuko fought for the fate of the Earth Kingdom'. “What in the name of?” Asami breathed before she continued further into the cavern and into another tunnel, this one spiralling down. “This is obviously man-made... But how?”

Asami then wandered into another, smaller cave where a large crystal was giving off a brighter glow than all the others, she could see that this crystal was the core of the entire crystalline structures she had seen throughout the caves and tunnels. As she got closer to it she began to be able to see more clearly through the blinding light. “Oh my” she gasped when she saw the figure inside the crystal. She moved forward and slammed her hands on the crystal to try and get the person's attention but to no avail. “Hello?” She called before she realised that the person was in some kind of suspended animation. “Strange, this stuff looks ancient, and there's no cryonics kit here.” She slammed her hand on to the smooth crystal again before she realised she had a pickaxe in her bag from her ice climbing adventure she had had a few weeks ago with her best friends, Opal, Jinora and Kyia. She took the pick out of her bag and hit it against the crystal. “Damn” she breathed when it didn't even scratch the crystal before she pulled out her prototype portable phone. “C'mon c’mon” she breathed while she waited for the person to pick up  
“Hi?” Senna’s voice came down the line  
“Senna, it's me, Asami”  
“Hi, Asami...” Her smile could be heard in her voice  
“Where's Kyia?”  
“She got grounded the other day”  
“Oh, so that's why she hasn't been replying to any of my messages!” Asami exclaimed, she had been worried about Kyia  
“I'm afraid so... So why did you call?”  
“I need my best friends’ help”  
“Where are you? It sounds pretty echoey”  
“I've found a cave! It's amazing!”  
“Alright, Asami, alright, I'll tell Kyia you want her to call you back”  
“Thank you, Senna!” Asami exclaimed and hung up. She tapped in another number, hoping that Opal wasn’t grounded by her rather strict but kind mother, Suyin.  
“Asami!” Opal exclaimed  
“Opal! You gotta come and see this I'm somewhere spectacular!”  
“Fineeeeee” Opal sighed, she had been playing a pong style game with Kuvira, “where are you?”  
“Come to the square to the side of Buckingham Palace and you'll see a small sign on a wall of a building there, it says 'Ba Sing Se Palace Square.” Asami was getting caught up in the moment, “open that door, it's unlocked and follow the tunnel then the crystals and call me if you get lost”  
“Alright, Asami”  
“Is that Asami?!” a younger girl’s voice called  
“Yes, Ora” Jinora ended the phone call, “she's found another pile of dog dung and jumped headfirst into it, again!”  
“How exciting!” Jinora clapped her hands but rolled her eyes, for a genius their friend spent most of her life doing dangerous or ridiculous things. “Will Kyia be there?!”  
“She didn't say, it's not just me she's been ignoring then?”  
“Who cares, let's go!” After all, adventure beckoned

Jinora and Opal arrived at the square at exactly the same time Kyia did. “Soooo” Kyia breathed anxiously  
“Kyia, we were worried!”  
“Sorry, got grounded”  
“Oh right” Opal muttered before she saw the sign that Asami had pointed out. “This way, girls!” She exclaimed and ran up to the door, looked around and opened it. She led the other two down the tunnel and into the catacombs  
“Woah...” Jinora whispered before Opal grabbed her hand as well as Kyia’s and dragged them through the tunnels to where Asami was waiting for them  
“Hey, girls” Asami whispered and pointed to the crystal that contained the person  
The other girls’ eyes widened. “What... Is that?”  
“I have no idea... But girls, we found this person so we have to help”  
“This'll take all night” Kyia groaned. She was the fittest and strongest of their little group and Asami was always amazed how she kept her muscles and figure up even though she didn't really do much  
“Yup” Asami smiled and slammed her pick into the crystal, Kyia swung around and kicked it with all her strength, causing the smallest of cracks to appear.

Three hours later they were only a little further on in their efforts to smash the crystal. Kyia was taking a break and sitting down, Asami was by her side. The other two continued pounding on the crystal, trying to make the crack big enough to shatter the crystal. “Sams” Kyia whispered, “this ain't ever gonna work, we need heavy duty kit to crack this thing”  
“My dad was working on a pulsed beam, uh... laser I think he called out before he died. He never finished it”  
“Well we need it”  
“Alright. Me and Ora will go and get it out of storage, then we'll see if it works”  
“I think Kyia ought to go with you” Jinora called, covered in a light coat of sweat from her hard work  
“But...”  
“No, Asami, take Kyia”  
“Fine” Asami felt she had to put up a bit of a fight out of embarrassment  
“C'mon then Sams” Kyia grabbed her hands and tugged her back out of the cavern.  
“Don't worry, we’ll have set up camp by the time you two get back!!” Opal called, she and the others always kept a bag packed with clothes, tents and other essentials handy for if Asami or one of the others found a new adventure for them

“Hey!” Asami exclaimed when Kyia pulled her again, she was excited at the challenge, breaking into places for the fun of it was Kyia’s thing.  
“Come on, Asami!!”  
“I'm coming!! Kyia, we need to talk about this”  
“Well don't stop, we can talk on the way!”  
“Kyia, I know breaking and entering is your thing but you've never targeted a place like Future Industries Tower before”  
“Asami...” Kyia whispered  
“Just wanted you to know that this will be exceedingly difficult to do”  
“Asami, it's your stuff really so we’re not stealing”  
“Try telling the board that” Asami huffed. Her father had left everything to her of course but had left it in trust until she reached her twenty-first birthday. She was seventeen, which was the same age as Opal, Jinora was sixteen and Kyia was eighteen. The legal age of adulthood was twenty-one.

Kyia spent most of her time out, she had finished school and didn't bother applying to university unlike Asami and Opal, her parents noticed that she was always able to pay her rent for her reasonably nice apartment but hadn't ever been seen lifting a finger. Only Asami, Opal and Jinora knew the truth, she was a part-time thief, preferring to steal ideas for a price instead of things. Things risked jail, ideas did not. Although according to Kyia, her trade may well end up getting a little more difficult in the future, there was talk of an introduction of new laws to protect ideas as well as property. Asami had remembered back to the first time Kyia had told them, they were sharing their deepest darkest secrets with each other when Kyia was fifteen, she, Jinora and Opal had already shared theirs, and Kyia was the last to go. “I'm not perfect” she had muttered, “but what I do I do to help people who really need it” Asami and the others were rapt in their attention, “I'm a thief” Jinora and Opal had gasped  
“Makes sense” Asami whispered, conscious of Opal’s parents a few doors down  
“I don't take from the poor, I take from the rich, I take ideas from corporations. Asami, not all corporations are as fair-minded as Future Industries, Cabbage Corp and Varrick Global, for example,”  
“Don't I know it”  
“And I take ideas from those businesses and hand them over to smaller ones, I get a percentage of the initial profits” she had explained. “The contract is normally for something like ten months and I get twenty per cent”  
“Wow...”  
“I go by the name The Blind Bandit. A name I read in a very old book I stumbled upon”  
“But you're not blind?”  
“No, but the people I'm in a contractual agreement with are, I don't allow them to see my face or body, and a good number of them probably don't even know I'm female”

Asami had smiled at the memory, not once had Kyia ever been caught. “We’re here” she breathed.  
“Right.” Asami took charge, “all the windows and doors are pressure sensitive as are the vast majority of other ways into the building. The only way that's not so protected is the roof, but... That's up there” she pointed. “All roof accesses are alarmed so the emergency exits and gantries are out”  
“Sams, you worry too much. Give me the disarm code and I'll get in and shut everything down”  
“Fine, the code is four-four-seven-six-seven-four-four”  
“Hiroshi?” Kyia giggled. “Had I known it would be that easy I wouldn’t have asked”  
“Kyia...” Asami warned  
“Don't worry, Sams, it's safe with me, besides you could always recommend changing it”  
“True”

Kyia gave her a quick peck on the cheek and bounded off through the undergrowth. She ran to a nearby willow tree and wrapped her hands up in the branches that hung down, she used the branches to pull herself on to the top of the tree and therefore avoided the barbed and razor wire around the lower levels of the building, as well as being able to chuck herself on to one of the metal poles that reached up from the third storey to the top of the building. “Spirits” Asami breathed while she watched Kyia make her way up the pole with little difficulty, understanding now why her friend and secret crush was so muscular  
“Thank the spirits for modern design” Kyia laughed and free fell for a few seconds on to the top of the gantry. She paused and hearing no alarm, she continued. One of the ventilation shafts opened and closed periodically, she threw herself through the grating just in time and she heard it click shut behind her. Kyia stayed still for a few seconds and allowed her eyes to adjust, once they had she moved forward again.

Outside, Asami was waiting patiently for the red light on the door to switch to green when she noticed several guards heading her way, she pulled herself further back into the undergrowth but still sighed deeply once they had passed. The light had also gone green so she sprinted up to the door and threw it open as fast as she could  
Inside the building she found Kyia waiting there for her, she had a few bruises on her arms and knees but that was it. “I let myself fall down a shaft instead of risking walking down the stairs” she explained. Kyia and Asami made their way to the warehouse and, thanks to Asami's intimate knowledge of the sorting system, they soon found the thing they were looking for. “Let me take it” Kyia whispered before she threw the box on her back using the handy backpack straps on the heavy box, "Hiroshi really thought of everything didn't he?" She indicated the straps on the box that allowed her to carry it as if it was a backpack. Asami nodded, smiling and led the way back up into the tower then back out the door, not forgetting to reset all the alarm systems on her way out  
“We got it!” Asami grinned happily  
“Yes, we got it!”  
“Gonna be alright taking that thing back to the Satomobile?”  
“Yes it's heavy but I can manage” Kyia grunted, she was right though, she managed to carry it to Asami’s Satomobile and plonked it on the back seat.  
“Let's scarper” Asami grinned, she jumped in the vehicle with Kyia in the passenger seat and drove off into the night


	2. Crystalline prisons

Asami and Kyia snuck through the shadows and through the still unlocked door. “I can carry it, Kyia”  
“Nonsense, Sams, you wouldn't be able to carry it five steps”  
“Get shoved, Kyia and give me the damn thing!”  
Kyia sighed but handed the heavy box to Asami, “you wait, you won't be able to carry it far”  
Asami just shrugged and walked down the path, the crystals illuminating their faces every few feet. Kyia hadn't got the chance to look around the first time she came down here since Opal had been dragging her and Jinora along at quite a pace. She breathed in and out quietly but recklessness overtook her as it often did, and she reached out to pull Asami into a mesmerising kiss. “K... Kyia... I had no idea”  
“Well, I am a thief, and pretty damn good at hiding my emotions as well as other things if I do say so myself”  
“Clearly” Asami dropped the heavy box to the floor and threw herself at her former secret crush  
“Ooomph” Kyia breathed quietly from between Asami's lips  
“I've been waiting to do this...”  
“How long?”  
“Oh, yanno, only five years...”  
“I'm sorry, Sams”  
“Don't be, you were nervous, just like me”  
“Hehe” Kyia breathed before she intertwined her fingers and led them forward  
“Are you ready?”  
“For them to know who we truly are, yes”  
“Then let's do it” Asami nodded

They walked in hand in hand, “guys!” Jinora exclaimed and noticed they were holding hands. Her eyebrow raised and her mouth formed a perfectly comical 'O' shape. She blushed but then began to grin excitedly, “Opal! Opal! You gotta come see this!”  
The other girl ran up all flustered, “what?” she noticed where Jinora was looking and then smiled. “Awww...!! Kyia and Asami!! Cuuuuuutee!!”  
“Shut up” Kyia grumbled but smiled  
“Did you get it?” Opal asked  
“We got it” Asami shrugged the box back off her back.  
“Kyia... You were taught about manners I presume?” Jinora brought herself up to her full height, short but still as impressive as Kyia's six feet albeit in a different way  
“You... Whatnow?”  
“You shouldn't let your girlfriend carry heavy things”  
“Yeah... Kyia” Asami berated her new girlfriend  
“She insisted!” Kyia spluttered out  
“What kind of girlfriend gets their girlfriend into trouble?!” Opal glared playfully at Asami  
“Go away, Opal” Asami muttered before she knelt down and started playing with the box, opening it and extending a tube-like protrusion out of it  
“Oh good, the nerds are here to save us” Kyia muttered. “Come get me when you want to shift some crystal.” She began to walk away but flopped down to the floor beside Asami where she had a perfect view of the other girl’s behind  
“What a nice view” Kyia muttered  
“It's very pre.. what are you doing Kyia”  
“Staring at my girlfriend's ass, that alright with you?”  
Asami blushed bright red much to the amusement of the other two who had been watching the scene unfold. “So long as I get a turn later”  
“Yup” Asami giggled at Kyia's answer before she returned to fiddling with the box in front of her  
“Aha!!” she exclaimed when she hit a button and the box came to life. She lifted the tube attachment, which was joined to the main box with some kind of rubber tubing and held it close to an offshoot of a piece of crystal. “Hit that green button will you, Jinora?” she asked and the younger girl did so. The machine coughed into life and a few seconds later an invisible beam shot out of the tube and through the crystal, causing it to flash and spark. A few seconds later, the crystal shard she had been cutting fell to the ground  
“Way to go, Asami!” Opal exclaimed  
“This is only the beginning...” Asami replied before using the laser to cut off as much of the crystal as she dared

Five painstaking hours later, Asami had cut through the majority of the crystal. “My girlfriend is awesome!!” Kyia exclaimed  
“We’re not quite done... Kyia, grab that pick and shatter the crystal”  
“Right.” Kyia did so and shattered the crystal with a single mind-numbing blow.  
“Careful!” Opal exclaimed before she ran towards the person to catch them  
“Spirits, Kyia, this one's more muscular than you!!” Jinora grunted, having run forward to help her friend with the stranger’s weight  
“NO!” A pained, yet mystical voice came out of the stranger's mouth, “no! Toph! You don't have to do this! They can't make you do this...!” her eyes stopped glowing and she looked around at the strange faces. “Toph?”  
“No, but you're safe now” Asami smiled, “we've got you”  
“Sleepy...” the mysterious woman whispered before her brilliant blue eyes closed  
“Oh well, at least she's still alive...” Jinora whispered, thankful that the mystery woman's chest continued to rise and fall, she curled up on her bed, utterly exhausted. “We ought to get her to hospital”  
“Too tired to think” Asami muttered  
“Need rest” Opal sighed  
“You lot rest, I'll keep an eye on this one” Kyia smiled  
“No, Kyia, you'll probably be the one to carry her out of here” Jinora interrupted. “You need your rest, besides I don't think your girlfriend would want to go to sleep alone tonight”  
“Alright, Ora, if you're sure”  
“I am” Jinora dragged the mystery woman into the tent she had set up for herself, wrapped the woman up in her sleeping bag and sat back against the canvas while the others went about their business getting ready for bed. “Who are you, mysterious woman?” Jinora whispered and prepared herself for the night watch


	3. Heartbreak

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Korra gets taken to the hospital by the girls... Where everything goes wrong

“We need to get you to a hospital” Kyia explained to the older girl who was slumped over her shoulders  
“Who are you?” she muttered, clearly exceedingly scared  
“My name is Kyia, this is Opal, this is Jinora and this is Asami” Korra's breath hitched in her neck, “my girlfriend”  
“N... Nice to meet you all” Korra stuttered  
“We’re almost out of the tunnel” Jinora whispered. If they ever went back to that place it would be too soon. Of course, Asami and Kyia had to go back for the laser but for now the woman was their priority. Jinora estimated her to be about twenty but hadn't ever seen a hairstyle like hers before. Her hair was tied up in three ponytails, one on each side of her face and one on the back of her head

They burst back out of the tunnel, being down there for so long had clearly thrown their body clocks out since it was very dark. The only light in the area came from distant Streetlights. “Ugh!” the woman exclaimed, having lifted her arm and flicked her wrist up. At first, Kyia ignored it until she tried again  
“What are you doing?” Kyia whispered, “stop it, it's annoying”  
“I can't bend...” the girl sighed, “I still can't bend!” she dropped her head over Kyia's shoulder and began to cry quietly  
“Uh... Sams? Help, she's crying and I'm busy carrying her”  
“Hush now, we've got you, you’re safe”  
“I can't bend...”  
“What?”  
“I can't bend! Amon really did it, he took them away, all four... Gone”  
“What are you babbling about!” Kyia exclaimed, losing her patience  
“I can't bend!!!” she yelled back  
“What is bending” much to Asami's relief, Jinora had intervened  
“The ability to control the elements?”  
“You're crazy” Kyia scoffed  
“I'm the avatar... You gotta deal with it” she muttered grumpily  
“We ought to let the Chief have her, she's a crazy”  
“She needs the hospital”  
“No kidding” Kyia grunted before she got an elbow in the shoulder. “Right, I've had enough!” Kyia growled and shoved the 'avatar’ off her back  
“Hey!”  
“Make your own way to the hospital” Kyia growled  
“Kyia!!” Asami exclaimed and ran to catch the woman as she fell. “Oooooff” she and the woman fell back before Opal and Jinora caught them. Kyia reached out and pulled Asami back to her feet  
“C'mon we'd better get going” Jinora whispered, the hospital wasn't even visible to them yet  
“Yeah, bye Kyia” Opal replied before the two walked off without her, still carrying the woman between them.  
“See you around, I guess” Asami moved away but Kyia grabbed her arm  
“I'm sorry, Sams”  
“Not me you should be apologising to”  
Kyia looked down sadly, “that girl is crazy”  
“So?” Asami raised her eyebrow, “we still have to try to help”  
“Fine”  
They both ran and caught up with the others. “I think it's probably best if we don't talk about what just happened” Asami stated  
“Agreed” Jinora nodded and looked at Opal who also nodded, they all then looked at Kyia  
“Fine” Kyia nodded, “but I don't know what will happen if she acts like that in the hospital...” She moved in front of the older woman and placed her hand on the woman's shoulders. “I'm sorry for shoving you off me” The woman nodded weakly, “oh and what's your name?”  
“Korra”  
“Nice to meet you, Korra. Now come on girls, put Korra on my back”  
“Alright” they both moved forward, slumped the woman over Kyia's shoulders and they all made it to the hospital in record time

“Name?” the bored looking receptionist asked  
“Korra”  
“Last name?”  
“I sorta... Don't have one?”  
“Date of birth?”  
“Haven't the foggiest”  
“Why are you in here today?”  
Asami stepped forward, “Uh... We sorta found her”  
“You found her?” the receptionist blinked and looked up with a slightly less bored expression, but still very disbelievingly  
“Yes, we did, in an underground network of caves and tunnels nearby”  
“Miss, there are no caves nor tunnels nearby”  
“Oh really?” Asami pulled out her portable phone and flicked through some of the photos on it. “How about this then?” she showed the receptionist the cave, where there were three tents set up and three of the girls stood for the photo  
“I never knew”  
“Nor did I”  
“Alright, take a seat, you'll be called through shortly. Also, feel free to grab one of those wheelchairs for Korra, save your friend carrying her everywhere”  
“Thank you” Asami led them over to the wheelchairs and after Kyia had deposited Korra in one of them, they wheeled her over to the waiting area and sat down heavily

“Korra?” A kind sounding voice called  
“I got this” Asami smiled and Kyia tagged along with her hand in Asami's  
“Hi,” Kyia said brightly to the man, a nurse, while Korra shrunk away slightly  
“Hey,” the man said  
“I know you...” Asami began  
“The tourist!”  
“The jerk!” Asami and the man has spoken at exactly the same time  
“My name's Mako actually, and I'm a nurse”  
“Asami”  
“So what's the problem?”  
“We found our friend here in a nearby cave, she seemed weakened and fatigued so we brought her here”  
“Let's take a look at you then” he stepped forward but she scooted away again, fear evident  
“Korra...”  
“Amon was a man and he...”  
“What our friend means to say is that she'd prefer a female”  
“Oh, alright then... Doctor Senna!”  
A kind looking woman hurried over. “Yes?”  
“Mom!!” Kyia exclaimed  
“Hey, sweetie”  
“I didn't know you were working tonight!”  
“Yeah well I am... Since you went off with these three, again, you weren't there when I told your father they'd switched the shifts around, again”  
“Sorry mom”  
“I hope you've been having...” she noticed Korra, “Kyia, who's this?”  
“We don't really know, her name's Korra, that's pretty much all we know”  
“Uhhh... Hi?” Korra blushed at suddenly being the centre of attention  
“Get doctor Varrick and nurse Zhu Li, they should be somewhere around here” Senna turned back to Korra once Mako had left the room. “So... Korra, if these three found you... In that cave?” Asami nodded, “then we'd better get you looked at immediately”  
A man with a crazy look on his face rushed in with a slightly haggard woman behind him. “You called, Senna?”  
“Yes, Varrick, my daughter and her friends” Varrick rolled his eyes, knowing about Kyia and the others' 'adventures' both from stories from Senna and sporadic appearances in the hospital. “Found this young woman in a cave. I'd like you to prep our medical equipment downstairs, the X-ray machine, Zhu Li, will you go with him?” they nodded and rushed off  
“Mom... What's going on?”  
“I don't know...”  
“Hey, can you find out what's wrong with my body?”  
“Yes dear, our machine should be able to show physical damage, now, I’d like you to lie back on the bed while we take bloods and your obs”  
“Uh... Alright” Korra leant back wearily and was quickly asleep  
“Someone's tired” Senna laughed  
"I need a bathroom break" Kyia muttered  
“Otay sweetie” Senna whispered before her daughter rushed off

By the time Kyia got back, Korra's obs and bloods had been done, Korra also sported sticky pads over her body as well as an IV line in her hand  
“She still asleep?”  
“Didn't wake up even when the IV was inserted”  
“Lucky” Kyia grumbled jealously  
“No... No... Please” Korra groaned and mumbled in her sleep, “don't... Don't do this... Please... No”  
“Again?” Jinora whispered  
“You've heard this before?”  
“Yes, when we broke her out of her... Uh prison, she woke up for about a minute and rambled, well screamed actually. Something about someone called Toph? She was pleading for this woman not to do something”  
“I see” she looked up at Korra, who had woken up drenched in sweat. “What's the last thing you remember, Korra?”  
“I... I remember being sealed inside the crystal these girls found me in”  
“It's true, we found her trapped in a crystal, mom”  
“And do you remember who trapped you there?”  
“T... Toph”  
Senna's eyes widened, “what was their last name?”  
“Beifong, Toph Beifong” Opal's mouth fell open in shock  
“Are you sure?” Senna replied  
“Positive, it was Amon” Senna looked ready to collapse  
“We've got to get you out of here, now. Girls, go back to my house, here are the keys” she chucked them over before wheeling Korra away  
“What was that about?” Asami whispered  
“Not a clue, Sams” Kyia muttered and moved to kiss her girlfriend  
“Beifong... How could it be a Beifong?” Opal muttered before she hurried after the others

The girls returned to Senna’s house and they were all asleep on the couch by the time Senna returned with her husband, Tonraq. “I hope she'll be safe there”  
“She's with friends, she'll be safe”  
“I'm surprised old Zuko is still alive, he must be nearly one hundred and thirty by now”  
“Yup” Senna held her fingers up to her lips and pointed at the sleeping girls who had begun to stir  
“Where's Korra” Asami muttered sleepily  
“She had to go, Asami, I sent her somewhere where I know she’d be safe, a compound ran by a friend of mine. She's gone there to recuperate and adapt to what's happened to her”  
“What do you mean?”  
“She's not well, she lost something, a part of her identity, many years ago”  
“What?!” Jinora exclaimed angrily, “you didn't even let us say goodbye?!”  
“I’m sorry girls, Korra needed to be taken somewhere safe”.  
“Fuck you, mom”  
“Language, Kyia!”  
“Maybe we were her friends, mom, maybe we would've appreciated the chance to go as well, or at least say goodbye!!”  
“C'mon, my mom's probably still awake” Asami sighed, “lets all crash at mine”  
“Definitely” Opal nodded, looking daggers at Kyia's mother  
“Let's go” Jinora called, trying to diffuse the situation  
“Don’t wanna be here even for another minute” Kyia glared at her mother before she turned her back on her and stormed towards the door, leading the other three out  
“Girls... Please... Kyia...”  
“Goodbye, _mom_ ” Kyia growled and walked out  
Unbeknownst to the girls, Senna collapsed into the couch they had just been lying on and grabbed Kyia's hoodie, wrapped herself up in it and cried herself to sleep. “They were right” Senna muttered, “we _should_ have given them the chance to choose”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Does anyone think I ought to copy my fanfics over to fanfiction.net?  
> Several lines went missing from this fanfic when I copied them over so I've corrected that now


	4. Education

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> FORGOTTEN CHAPTER: I had forgotten to include this chapter, I managed to skip to chapter five and left this out, this has now been rectified but nothing else in the story has changed so it's fine to just read this and then continue (unless you've not read this fanfic before then just ignore this message!)
> 
> Kyia gets an unexpected gift from her friends after a period of silence

It had been over three years since Asami, Kyia, Jinora and Opal had found Korra in the crystal and Kyia at least had never really moved on from her mother's decision to send Korra away. She had kept her distance ever since while increasing her somewhat illegal activities to buy herself a better apartment. Asami and Opal had spent a lot of time away in California at a university there where Asami studied engineering and Opal studied dance and theatre. Jinora, grumpy at being left behind by two of her best friends, spent a whole year living out of Kyia's apartment, partially because she was fed up of living with her family, especially her two wild siblings Ikki and Meelo although she still loved them dearly of course, but mainly because she never knew when Asami or Opal would be back from university. She finally left to go to university herself where she started her studying of a new spirituality course although she ended up going to New York for it, much to Kyia's distaste. Now alone, and with her job on the line because of the impending new laws, she spent most of her days asleep but most of her nights active. For several months Opal and Asami had been eerily quiet with very few calls or letters sent or received, Kyia knew they were alright though since she was named as one of their emergency contacts for if something happened. She was woken up one morning by a knock on her door, she rolled out of bed while grumbling to herself. “Miss Kyia?” the man asked  
“Yea...?”  
“I was employed to deliver this to you”  
“Oh?” Kyia took the envelope she was handed, “thank you...”  
“You're welcome, better open that quick” the man replied before he nodded and walked away while whistling.  
“Hmmm” Kyia hummed to herself before she carefully opened the envelope

 _Dearest Kyia,_  
 _I apologise for not writing to you or calling you recently, I've been so busy with my final thesis for my master’s degree that I haven't been able to write to you_  
Kyia stopped reading. _Really, Asami? A bachelor's and master's degree in three years? Show off_ she thought to herself  
 _That's over now though, I have finished my master's degree and have been told it's one of the best that’s ever been submitted, a perfect A+ grade thesis! (My bachelors was much the same by the way in case you hadn't guessed)_  
Kyia rolled her eyes, _of course she was gonna get a perfect score_  
 _But more on that in a bit... Opal wants to say hi..._  
 _Hey, Kyia, Opal here!_  
 _I've finished my bachelor's degree with a high A_  
Kyia couldn't help but grin, _look at these two nerds. Opal may not be my girlfriend but damn I'm so proud of her!_  
 _And I can't wait to talk to you in person!!! Asami says she’s enclosed something special for you and she's sent another one to Jinora who’s by all accounts finished her degree in philosophy or spirituality or whatever_  
“What?” Kyia looked in to the envelope once again and then tipped it up and a small plastic oval-shaped object with several pieces of paper stuck to it and two pieces of card fell out of it. “What's this?” She turned the pieces of card over and realised one was a ticket for a flight later that day out to California and the other was a ticket to Asami and Opal's graduation ceremony. Kyia fought back tears before she returned to the letter  
 _By now I hope you'll have received our gifts, we thought it’d be more of a surprise if we kept it quiet, we would both love it if you’d come to our graduation ceremony, the tickets are for later in the day that you're due to receive this so you'd better get packing!!_  
 _Lots of love_  
 _Jinora and your Sams_  
 _Ps. Don't forget to call us!_

Kyia held the tickets to her chest as if they were the most important things she had ever held, and to her, they were, almost. Kyia would get to hold the thing or rather person that's the most important to her later. With a whoop of joy, she read through the instructions on the paper before she called Asami on the portable phone the girl had prototyped for her as part of her engineering and technology course. “Hey, sweetie!!” Asami exclaimed when she picked it up  
“Hey, Sams”  
“Hey Kyia!” an excitable voice called from the background  
“Hey, Ope!” Kyia called back and giggled when Asami passed her message on  
“It's nice to hear your voice” Asami exclaimed excitedly  
“Yeah Sams, it’s been too long”  
“Sorry, I didn't want to risk spoiling the surprise”  
“This thing?”  
“Yeah, I call it a cell phone, it’s like the one I built myself but better!”  
“I love it! I can speak to my Sams wherever I am now!”  
“Me and the other two” Asami corrected her, “have you started packing?”  
“Nope!”  
“Then get to it, call me once you’re at the airfield waiting to get on your plane”  
“Right, see you soon”  
“See you soon, my love”

Asami ended the phone call and the tears of joy Kyia had been holding in overwhelmed her for ten minutes, she then packed her clothes and some money, as well as the phone and her tickets which went in her handbag before there was a knock at the door. “Coming!” she called  
“Kyia!!” Asami's mother, Yasuko, rushed to the younger woman to give her a massive hug  
“Yasuko?” Kyia exclaimed, “what are you doing here?”  
“I came to collect you, silly” she replied, “we’re going to the airport! we’ll be meeting Lin there too, I believe the rest of the Beifong family have made alternate arrangements”  
“It'll be nice to tease _The Chief_ again after all these years, and it'll be even nicer to see my beautiful girlfriend”  
“You two are still together?”  
“Of course!”  
“I don't like to pry into Asami's personal life although I have been wondering”  
“Well yes, we are still together” Yasuko’s face lit up with a huge smile  
“Excellent! I'd imagine you three will then head on to Jinora’s graduation?”  
“Will we?” While they had been talking, Kyia and Yasuko had moved into Yasuko’s Satomobile and were driving towards the airport  
“I imagine Asami will give you your tickets when you arrive”  
“Mhmmm” Kyia grinned, “so how are you, Yasuko?”  
“I miss my husband greatly, but that's life, isn't it? I almost envy Asami, she's been so busy with that cell phone project that she’s not really had the time. She built that entire project for you, by the way, she'd be horrified if she knew I was saying this, but all that work was done for you”  
“Me?”  
“Yes, Kyia, for you” Yasuko gently wiped the resulting tears off of Kyia's face, “anyway, enough about me, what about you?”  
“I'm alright, still not really doing much except the essentials I need to do to be able to pay the bills and the mortgage”  
“You should've said something, Kyia”  
“Asami already tried, I refused”  
“Ah... Typical Kyia still then?” Kyia blushed, “what about your parents?”  
“I... Don't know”  
“Kyia I'm so sorry... I knew things were difficult I just wondered”  
“Don't be sorry, Yasuko, it’s just that I haven't spoken to them since the incident with the cave”  
“Three and a half years ago?”  
“Yup”  
“Oh Kyia” the older woman held her hand up to Kyia's cheek and wiped her tears away before she applied the break next to a sullen old woman  
“Well, it's about time you two got here!”  
“Hello, Lin” Yasuko smiled at her and cautiously held her hands out, Lin clinked in her armour and pulled Yasuko in for a quick hug  
“Hey, _Chief_!” Kyia winked at the older woman  
“Hmph,” she scowled, “not been running off in the night and disappearing anymore?”  
“My playmates abandoned me...”  
“You gave your parents a...” Lin stopped at Yasuko’s look, “sorry” she mumbled  
“Don't be” Kyia grabbed her bags as did Yasuko and Lin, who had been standing with her luggage, led them into the airport  
“This way” Lin led them down the length of the airport, past the security checkpoint without even stopping and on to a smallish plane where only those three were on board.  
“Mrs Sato, Miss Kyia, Miss Beifong, welcome” the pilot smiled before heading into the cockpit to start the small jet up

Ten hours later they arrived at their destination and disembarked quickly, walking into the arrivals lounge where Kyia saw two of them, she dropped her bags and sprinted into a massive group hug. “Girls!”  
“Kyia” Jinora whispered happily  
“Ora” Kyia whispered back just as happily, “Ope!”  
“Kyia”  
“Wait... where's Sams?”  
“I'm over here!” her voice called  
“SAMS!!”Kyia bellowed, she ran up to her, crashed into her, lifted her up above her head and spun her around. “Sams!!” she exclaimed, this time more quietly before she put a massive kiss on her lips and continued to hold her in a crushing embrace  
“Aunt Lin!” Opal exclaimed and ran into her aunt's arms  
“Mom!” Asami dragged Kyia, who was still hanging off her waist over to her mother and the older woman hugged her girls tightly  
“It's amazing to see you all again” Kyia whispered happily before she grabbed her girlfriend's hand and walked out hand in hand with her, this drew some stares but Lin in her chief’s uniform was enough to keep people quiet  
“Have you heard from...?” Asami whispered quietly  
“No.” Kyia replied just as quietly  
“We’re going to have to go and get her out of wherever she is”  
“We are?”  
“Yes, we are. We have a responsibility to help her, she was taken against her will to some kind of compound, and without her _bending_ ” Asami still looked sceptical, “she probably won't be able to leave”  
“I'm in!” Kyia nodded

The ceremony was beautiful. Not only did Asami and Opal get their certificates, but Asami got a special award for achieving 100% on her thesis and she called her girlfriend up to the stage and held her hand throughout, much to the surprise and pride of everyone attending. “Did you arrange that, Sams?” Kyia whispered at the graduation meal afterwards  
“Arrange what?”  
“Arrange for me to join you when you were presented with your degrees, of course?”  
“Yes, of course I did, in fact I told them I wouldn't attend if you weren't allowed up there”  
“Thank you, Sams”  
“Hey, I'm really proud of you Asami, Opal and Jinora, and you Kyia”  
“Me? Why? I didn't earn a first class degree with a perfect, or nearly perfect score” Kyia groaned  
“I know... But you went up there to be with your girlfriend, didn't you?”  
“Yup,” Kyia smiled before she looked away and saw Opal talking excitedly to a boy. “Hey, Ope, gonna introduce me to your friend?”  
“This is Bolin, my boyfriend”  
“Congrats, girl”  
“Apparently Jinora got a boyfriend too” Opal whispered, inclining her head towards the girl sitting opposite them  
“That's great news!”  
Opal noticed Kyia's eyes drilling into the side of Bolin’s head. “Hey” she whispered, “he's a real sweet boy, he wouldn't hurt a spider-fly”  
“I know... But if he did, I’d hunt him down and” she pulled her finger across her neck  
“You're just overprotective” Opal replied before she returned her attention to her greedy boyfriend who was busy stuffing his face and Kyia rolled her eyes

A few days later, Jinora, Kyia, Opal and Asami met up with Jinora’s family outside another airport. “Master Tenzin” they all bowed respectfully although Kyia's was more a nod  
“It's wonderful to see you girls again”  
“This is my boyfriend, Bolin, by the way,” Opal smiled  
“Nice to meet you” he and Bolin shook hands  
“And dad, this is my boyfriend, Kai” Jinora added before she hugged the man who had been standing a small distance away  
“N... Nice to meet you, sir” Kai stumbled  
“Nice to meet you too” his eyes narrowed, “Kai”  
“We'd better get to our hotel and dump our stuff” Asami smiled  
“We’ll take you, we put you up in the same hotel”  
“There was no need, but thank you, Tenzin” Kyia nodded again and walked out with her girlfriend

Jinora’s ceremony was again beautiful, Kyia and the others enjoyed it as much as they had enjoyed Asami and Opal’s, even if it did involve more sitting around waiting while strangers received their certificates. Although admittedly they enjoyed the meal afterwards more as it was a louder, more boisterous affair than that of Asami and Opal's high society-like meal  
“This is great fun” Kyia laughed while she watched Kai and another boy arm wrestle. The other boy won easily and Kyia laughed, “Oi! Muscles! I'm up next!” she called  
The boy looked perplexed for a second before he shrugged and gestured. To everyone's surprise, Kyia beat him easily and then went on to beat everyone else there, even one of the muscular bouncer security officers who had consented to show off a little. “Kyia! Kyia! Kyia!” Asami had started yelling and soon everyone else was chanting along with her while Kyia defeated everyone who sat in front of her  
Lin, who had been watching silently from the back came up and patted Kyia on the back, “nicely done, kid” she laughed  
“Thanks, Lin” she smirked back and went off to get a glass of champagne to celebrate her success  
“Way to go, sweetie!” Asami was looking at her with adoration  
“Thanks, Sams!”  
“Yeah, well done Kyia, that bouncer didn't know what to do with himself after he lost to you!” Opal giggled  
“Oh yeah, happy belated birthdays, Opal, and Jinora” she pulled out two boxes, each had a beautiful necklace in them  
“Oh, Kyia!” Opal exclaimed and ran to one of her best friends and wrapped her up tight in a hug  
“Kyia... You shouldn't have...” Jinora whispered, a tear threatening to run down her cheek  
“I wanted to”

Later in the evening, the four friends sat idly around a table, chatting, or so it appeared. Kai and Bolin lingered nearby but respected the girls’ right to catch up privately. What they were actually doing was pouring over several reports that each had acquired from various sources. Asami had offered up a history of Future Industries orders that had been made by that man Zuko that she had got from a board member as a favour even though it was still a week to go before her twenty-first, Kyia had broken in to her parents’ house and had found the various medical reports her mother had kept regarding Korra, Opal placed a police report about a secret operation to remove a vulnerable citizen to a safe location she had acquired from her aunt down on the table and Jinora had been reading books about history in her spare time.  
“There isn't much I can tell you” Jinora muttered regretfully, “it seems this was a poorly recorded period of history”  
“This police report indicates that Korra was indeed handed over to a man called Lord Zuko who then took her somewhere”  
“This medical report shows no physical damage to Korra” Kyia muttered reluctantly, “but I don't fully trust this, something must've happened to that girl in that crystal, the way her eyes were glowing was unnatural  
“These invoices indicate that a lot of construction materials and Future Industries goods such as snowmobiles and mechatanks were brought by this Zuko character and shipped to the... South Pole”  
“Why would anyone wanna go there?” Opal groaned  
“It’s certainly isolated and it provides a fair amount of natural protection”  
“Do you think that's where she is?” Jinora whispered  
“Yes” Asami replied, “it’s my birthday in less than a week, but after then we can take a plane and begin reconnaissance flights  
“Let's do it!” Kyia exclaimed  
“Yes!” Opal nodded  
“Poor Korra... Imagine being trapped down there with nobody else. We have to help that poor girl” Kyia muttered sadly  
“Then it's decided” Asami smiled, held out her hand in front of her and the other three quickly placed their hands on top of hers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about this, I had suddenly realised that I had written a chapter about their graduations then obviously I didn't post it:(


	5. Twenty-one

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Asami has her twenty first birthday but her mind is firmly fixed on something else

Asami's twenty-first birthday came and went, she tried to look as if she was enjoying the day for her mother's sake as well as the sake of the other guests she had around her but the only thing on her mind was Korra. In the past few years she had occasionally had a burst of pain in her body that she was absolutely certain wasn't hers, she didn't understand it and neither had her friends. “Ungh” she groaned while sitting at the table in the restaurant they had all gone to celebrate her birthday  
“You alright, Sams?” Kyia whispered. Asami's mother, on the other hand, was busy talking to Senna who was watching her daughter  
“Yeah... It's just happened again”  
“Where?” Kyia replied, ignoring her mother completely  
“My ankle”  
“Damn, you think it'll interfere with flying tomorrow?”  
“It hasn't interfered with anything so far”  
“Good”  
Five minutes later, Asami was white-faced and any slight movement to her ankle caused her pain that was quickly becoming unbearable. “Sams...” Kyia muttered  
“Ow” Asami gasped back, a few seconds later, Senna had jumped out of her seat, moved around the table and was pulling Asami's chair out to look at her ankle.  
“And you've done nothing to injure it?” Senna asked  
“No” Asami hissed  
“I've got my medical stuff out in the car, I can take a look”  
“I'll be fine”  
“Asami, this is ridiculous, I'm a doctor for spirit's sake”  
“I don't care”  
“Asami, listen to me, are you still mad about what happened three years ago?”  
“Leave her alone!” Kyia growled, drawing the attention of at least half the table  
“Kyia, butt out”  
“She's my girlfriend, so no”  
“Are you still mad at me for what happened at the hospital?”  
Kyia didn’t reply for a minute, “yes” she growled and Asami nodded too  
“Would it change anything if I said I'm sorry?”  
“No”  
Senna took a deep breath, aware that the whole of the table and half the rest of the restaurant were watching, “I'm still sorry about what happened that night, I was wrong not to ask you whether you wanted to go, I was trying to protect you”  
“I don’t need your protection” Kyia growled, “I'm twenty-three now”  
“You wouldn’t understand”  
“Understand what?!” to Senna's surprise, it had been Opal that had helped Asami to her feet, “understand why you sent a terrified young woman away from people who had just rescued her?!”  
“Opal...” Asami muttered although she didn’t stop glaring at the woman in front of her, “everyone's staring”  
“Will you at least let me have a look at your ankle, Asami?”  
“You gonna send me away too?” Asami spat, “that poor woman was terrified, she fell asleep in the hospital you have no idea how she reacted when she woke up wherever you sent her!!”  
Tenzin and his family were amazed at the icy glare their daughter was giving someone she had always got on well with before that evening. “Whatever it was” Tenzin said in an undertone, “it was serious” he stood, “shall we all try to calm down? This is supposed to be a meal to celebrate Asami's birthday, is it really necessary for this to be a problem now?”  
“I'm not hungry” Kyia muttered before she turned to her mother, “if you’re gonna do your doctor thing then do it” she looked at Asami who nodded, “but be warned... I will defend her”  
“Right” Senna hurried off to get her medical bag  
“Show’s over everyone” Kyia declared coldly to the entire room, “go back to your food”

Senna came back in with her bag and gave Asami a once over, “we’d better find somewhere more private” she muttered  
“Did you find something?”  
“No. But that, in itself, is an answer”  
“Let's go” Opal nodded at a back room that was unoccupied  
“Medical emergency” Senna declared and flashed her doctor identity papers as she walked past an employee next to Kyia who was carrying Asami. Kyia put Asami down gently  
“Ladies, have you heard of something called soulmates?” Senna asked  
They shook their heads, to their surprise even Jinora shook her head, “nope” Asami admitted  
“Well, I'm not overly surprised. There hasn’t been a case of soulmate bonding since... Before all of you were born, many years before you were born”  
“And soulmate bonding is what exactly?”  
“When two people are so perfect for each other that they can hear each other's thoughts and feel each other's pain” Kyia and Asami shared a look, “there is no physical cause for your pain which leads me to believe that it may be soulmate related” Senna looked pained for a few seconds. “Since Amon”  
“Amon?!” Asami yelped, “that was one of the people Korra mentioned!”  
“Yes, Asami” Senna nodded “I overheard my parents talking about him every so often, apparently he was in power when I was very young, five, I think”  
“what did he do?”  
“I never learnt that, my parents wouldn't discuss it with me”  
“Oh... Right then”  
“Part of whatever he did while he was in power disrupted the soulmate bonding... I had a soulmate bond with your father, Kyia, but it went after Amon came to power, I can't remember what he did so don't even ask. All I knew was that my life felt emptier after I lost the soulmate connection  
“And you believe I've somehow formed a connection with... Someone?”  
“Yes”  
“Wait... You said soulmates could commune telepathically?” Kyia asked, still slightly coldly  
“I did”  
“Then do you remember ever having a strange dream or a weird thought, Asami?”  
“No, not really?”  
“Damn”  
“Physically, you're fine, Asami, but your soulmate must've hurt their ankle, whoever they are”  
“Wasn't me” Kyia grumbled, “we’re not soulmates, are we?”  
“I don't know, Kyia” Asami replied, “but I'm not entirely convinced by this Voodoo crap”  
“Thanks, sweetie” Kyia kissed her nose  
“Thank you, Senna,” Asami said  
“Thanks, mom” Kyia flashed her mother a smile, a small one perhaps, but a genuine smile all the same  
Senna sat back on the seat for a few seconds before she came out and rejoined the party  
“You're worried it’s Korra, aren't you?” Opal whispered in an undertone to Asami who nodded, Kyia who had been listening shed a few tears  
“Kyia, I still love you... I'm still IN love with you, nothing will change that”  
“I'm not so sure” Kyia replied  
Asami simply reached out to the older girl and pulled her into a mind-blowing kiss. “That convince you?”  
“Yeah...” Kyia smiled and accepted that out of all the possibilities, Asami had truly chosen her. “But... what about Korra?”  
“WE will cross that bridge when we come to it”  
"Thank you, sweetie" Kyia smiled widely and Asami smiled too


	6. Rescue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Korra is rescued

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **warning:** may be triggering

Asami, Kyia, Jinora and Opal boarded Asami's father's old plane. She had pulled it out of an unused hanger because they needed a form of transport that was small, agile and fast. They did not know what they were going to be going up against so Asami made the decision the night before they left to install the prototype jet engines she and her father had been working on before his death, she and Kyia worked late into the night ensuring the engines were properly installed. Asami knew they didn't have to depart until two in the afternoon, but even though she was working until the small hours of the morning, she was out of her sleeping bag at the crack of dawn. They had slept in the hanger so all they had to do was have a shower in the pilot’s facilities at the back of the hanger before they departed. “Kyia, you and the others strap in behind me in the passenger area” she instructed  
“Alright” they nodded but Asami turned and looked them in the eyes  
“Did you get the medical and survival supplies, Kyia?”  
“Yup. I raided RCH before I came here.” She pointed at the big bags. RCH or Republic City Hospital was one of the few remnants of a history long since forgotten  
“Did you get the weapons, Opal?”  
“Uh huh...” Opal pointed, “four taser and shock gloves, fourteen cans of spray paint and two guns”  
“Guns?” Jinora whispered nervously  
“Yes, Ora, but don't worry they’re for emergency use only”  
“Jinora, did you get the explosives and other hardware we might need to break in?”  
“Yup, five survival suits, two snow camo tents, the laser module, some flares, a couple of snowmobiles and some explosives, for distraction or breaking in purposes”  
“Great work!” Asami smiled, “then... Let's go!” She fired up the engines on the plane, now she was twenty-one she had been able to claim ownership of everything Future Industries had which made it a lot easier for her to get access to the plane and the laser since both belonged to her. Asami took off without a hiccup before she activated the jets and settled into the long flight ahead of her

Three hours later they were still above the ocean, Asami, from her vantage point, could see towering cliffs of ice and the sun was low in the sky, signalling the onset of dusk. “Perfect” she muttered, “we’re right on schedule”  
“Sams?” Kyia had snuck into the small cockpit on their plane  
“Hmmm?”  
“You sure you'll be alright flying this thing on your own?”  
“Yes, Kyia. You, Ope and Ora concentrate on your job, getting Korra out of there”  
Asami had decided that she would keep the plane in the air while the other three HALO jumped into the compound where Korra was being held to rescue her. They had agreed to leave most of the supplies on the plane but thought it a good idea to take the snowmobiles as well as the pack carrying the weapons, one of the survival tents, a pack of medical supplies, the laser and an extra survival suit for Korra. The three women were already dressed up in their survival suits and had their packs on, Kyia was carrying the laser, Opal had the medical supplies and the tent while Jinora had the weapons and explosives as well as other essentials. They were slumped in the cargo hold because the passenger cabin was too hot with all their gear on.

“I'm going in for our first sweep” Asami had called through the radio after another agonising hour's wait while they flew inland. They had decided to start by dropping a marker from their craft at a point in the wilderness then go from there in a widening circular pattern, Asami had shut down the fuel-intensive jet engines and they were relying on the old-fashioned propellers, the jets would have been too loud and have made searching impossible. Asami pressed a button and the landing gear opened, dropping their marker. “Marker released, starting first sweep”  
“Understood” Kyia was surprisingly calm  
“Alright, banking... Now” Asami declared and they held on while the craft turned on to the search pattern. “Banking complete, we’re on our way”  
“Yes!” Opal smiled triumphantly before she groaned and grabbed one of the bottles of water from her pack, taking a few huge gulps.  
“Easy on the water” Kyia reminded her, “you don't wanna need the pee while we're out there” she nodded at the wilderness  
“You're right, Kyia”

“Girls... We've got something...” Asami called after another two hours, it was completely dark and Asami had even turned off the marker lights on the wings of the plane  
“Right, can we verify it's the compound?”  
“Opening rear doors now” Asami replied  
Kyia gripped on to the rope that tied her harness to the plane and walked to the edge of the door, she peered through the binoculars she was holding and focused on the area of light. “Right, Asami, there seems to be several buildings all behind a massive wall of ice and metal, they've got several of those Mecha Tank things that your father designed all those years ago and there are several watchtowers dotted around”  
“Sounds like the place” Asami mused  
“Right. Well I'll come up there and give you a kiss” Kyia was true to her word, she slowly made her way up to the cockpit, pecked Asami's lips and ruffled her hair before she returned to the cargo hold  
“We are flying over the compound now” Asami declared, the three girls ran out of the back of the plane and jumped into nothingness. Asami continued on and the conveyor belt carried the snowmobiles to the edge of the door where they fell a short distance from the compound, their descent having been slowed by parachutes, black on the bottom and white on the top  
“Nicely done” Kyia’s voice crackled over the radio  
“Understood. Maintain radio silence from here on out unless there's an emergency”  
“Will do”

Asami shed a tear knowing she might not hear Kyia’s voice again for a while. Kyia donned her hood before she nodded at the other two, they had landed on the tallest building without a sound. Having taken charge, Kyia pointed at the guards on the watchtower which was easily visible below them but out of sight of the guards patrolling the ground and standing on a balcony drinking tea. They took out the guards on the watchtower with Asami's glove design which has been modified to shoot cables out so that it could deliver its incapacitating charge at a greater distance. They then caught a brief glimpse through one of the windows of a man with a scar across one eye, he was wearing red and he seemed to want to stay indoors.  
“Looks like the big bad boss man doesn't like the cold” Opal observed. The trio rammed a spike into the ice on the roof of the tall building and threw ropes down the sides, they then abseiled down the wall hoping to see Korra in one of the rooms on their way down.  
“Crap” Opal hissed, having not seen a single sign of Korra in the building since all three of them had chosen a different side of the building  
“Where is she?” Jinora breathed  
“What about down there?” Kyia had seen a path under the ice that had not been visible from the air  
“Worth a try” Opal replied  
“You two wait here, I'm going in there”  
“Take this then” Opal handed Kyia a gun  
“Hopefully I won't need that Ope”  
“I'm not sure this... Nevermind” Jinora had doubts about the plan but Kyia had already commando crawled off, making full use of the shadows and her camouflage suit

Ten minutes later she returned with a bloody nose. “Kyia!” Jinora gasped quietly  
“It's alright, a guard caught me by surprise” Kyia paused and looked green  
“Why didn't he raise the alarm?” Opal replied, in response, Kyia took the gun out and chucked it to the ground  
“Korra's in there. I hid the 'sleeping' man in the closet but I don't know how long we've got”  
“Let's go then” Jinora muttered, “Opal, go place this explosive charge on the other side of the wall furthest from that entrance” Opal nodded and ran off, she returned quicker than Kyia had.  
“Done”  
“Three... Two... One...” Jinora counted down before she pressed the button to detonate. The explosion rocked the compound and there was yelling all around them, Kyia raised her head after a few minutes and she saw all the guards were crowded around the corner, all fully armed  
“Let's go” Opal suggested, she led her friends down in to the underground basement where they immediately saw a large metal cage suspended above the ground. The walls around the cage all seemed to be several inches thick and when they looked into the cage they saw a defeated-looking young woman sitting with her back to the door, a blade led on the floor nearby.  
“Korra...” Kyia whispered  
“Blow the door off” Jinora suggested, “you two keep watch I'll get this door open,” Jinora noticed immediately it’d be quite difficult to do since the door was a sliding one similar to the ones used in jails, the only difference being how thick it was.  
“Shit” Opal muttered, Kyia, on the other hand, pulled a tube out of the top of her backpack and moved forward, she activated the laser and pointed it up at the top of the door, in the gap between the door and the wall.  
“Hurry up...” Opal whispered, watching Korra sway slightly in the chair  
“Going as fast as I can” Kyia replied, she finished cutting the door but it didn't move. “Fuck” she growled in frustration before she noticed the boxes on the top and the bottom of the door, holding it in place. “Electromagnets” she whispered and pointed to them before she sliced through the cables connecting them to whatever powered the compound.  
“Good work!” Opal exclaimed quietly, she moved forward to move the door out of the way only to find bars blocking her path. “Strange... These bars are wooden” Opal commented before Kyia growled in frustration and kicked them, they didn't budge so Kyia cut through enough of them with the laser to get in. While Kyia was cutting the rest of the bars, Opal ran in, noticing the whole of the floor was metal and there wasn't a single rug on the floor. She caught Korra just in time before she fell into the puddle of red that surrounded the chair. “Korra...! Korra...!” Opal got no response so she hurriedly pulled out the medical supplies they had taken, noticing as she did so that Korra’s ankle was in a cast and the sole of her other foot was covered in burn scars. Opal had very little time but Kyia was impressed at how quickly she had got Korra's arms tied up tightly in bandages. “I've done the best I can” Opal sighed when she was joined by Kyia who had grabbed the final suit from Jinora’s bag.  
“Help me get this on her” Kyia muttered after they had lifted Korra out of the chair and led her on the table away from the blood. It was quite the struggle pushing Korra's mangled arms through the sleeves and nearly as hard putting her legs in since they were effectively dead weights, but after five minutes of groaning, grunts, cussing and exertion, they finally got Korra in and zipped up.  
“Fuck” Opal wiped her forehead, “that wasn't easy”  
Opal and Kyia took Korra between them and made their way awkwardly to the stairway that would lead them back to the surface, Kyia noticed something and pointed. Jinora, who had both a gun and a glove in her shaking hands kicked the wall where Kyia had indicated and the wall moved, it had been wood painted and decorated to look like snow. “A way out” Kyia breathed in relief, she and Opal went in first. Jinora closed the hatch behind them after she had run back into Korra’s cage, she had pulled on a plastic glove she found nearby, took a handful of the blood and dripped it all the way to the bathroom that was hidden behind a simple metal screen. On her way out she stuck the wooden bars back together with the glue that was in their survival supplies, closed the metal door and reconnected the electromagnets by retying the wires together  
“Way to think ahead” Opal smiled  
“Should buy us an extra few minutes”  
The girls made slow progress along the dark tunnel, fortunately, Jinora had dumped the bloody glove and had been able to fish out one of the headlights from Opal's bag. After a bit of a faff, she managed to put it on Kyia's head and turn it on so they could see. Eventually, the tunnel reached the surface and after they had pushed aside another wooden cover, they found themselves in the wilderness not too far from their snowmobiles. “Phew” Kyia sighed  
“We did it...” Jinora whispered, checking Korra's pulse which was weak but steady  
“I hate to say this with Korra being so weak, but we need to put some distance between us and them” Opal grumbled reluctantly  
“You're right, Ope” Kyia and Opal carried Korra to the snowmobiles where she was put on in front of Kyia who was the more skilled of the three, having grown up on the machines. Opal and Jinora got on to the other one and they started them up and gunned them away from the compound as fast as they dared to go

Half an hour later Kyia called them to a stop, Korra had weakened even further and her body was slowly shutting down. “Set up the tent you two” Kyia commanded before she walked around the snowmobiles a few times and pointed at different bits while muttering to herself. Opal and Jinora had the tent erected and the portable heaters on after a few minutes of hurried activity and quiet cursing. They quickly took Korra inside and took her suit off, the arms were stained red from the blood, the hurried patch job they had done in the cell hadn't held together.  
“Shit!” Jinora gasped at all the blood, a tear ran down her cheek  
They both heard the roaring of engines which faded into nothing, “what's going on?” Opal poked her head out of the tent and saw Kyia walking towards them  
“I got rid of the snowmobiles” Kyia explained, “the reason I got you to set it up here was so that the tracks would be a good distance away from the tents, I've already brushed away our footsteps”  
“Are you mad?!” Jinora exclaimed  
“No, Ora, she's a genius” Opal corrected. “With any luck the guards will follow the tracks”  
“Ohhh!!” Jinora’s eyes went wide with admiration  
“How is she?”  
“Bad” Opal replied sadly  
“How bad... Oh” Kyia sighed when she saw Korra, her face was devoid of any colour and her breathing was weak  
“Yup...”  
Kyia ran over and started to rummage through the medical supplies, she quickly found what she was looking for though the additional pressure of racing against the clock to stabilise Korra made her look a little crazy. “My blood is A+” she winked at Jinora and Opal, “perks of being a doctor's daughter ladies” she laughed. “Korra's is A+ too”  
Kyia pulled out two IV cannulas and some tubing as well as some bags. “What are you doing?” Opal scratched her head  
“I'm going to make a makeshift transfusion thingy” Kyia explained. “Only hope I'm not too late”  
“Us too” Kyia worked for several minutes, inserting the IV cannula into Korra's arm and sticking it down, she then attached the tubing and instructed Opal on how to insert her cannula. She did so and soon Kyia’s blood was flowing down the tube slowly into Korra  
“Right, next, you two need to patch those arms up, again, I'll instruct you” Kyia instructed them both on how to stitch the wounds closed while she sat higher up than Korra to ensure the blood transfusion continued  
“Poor girl” Opal whispered, Korra’s arms were a mess of scars  
“If only we hadn't let her go...” Kyia whispered, she noticed the cast on her ankle, “oh no...” she looked away and tears flowed down her cheeks  
“I know Asami is still in love with you Kyia” Opal whispered, she and Jinora had just finished bandaging Korra's arms up

They had been hiding for nearly four hours. In that time, Kyia’s makeshift transfusion contraption had helped Korra regain at least some of the colour in her face and they heard a search party shoot past just under half an hour beforehand. “Time to get ready to go” Kyia announced  
“Finally” Opal muttered, fed up to the back teeth of the cold, the snow and carrying the pack and Korra  
“I'll signal Asami” Jinora grabbed one of the flares  
“No!” Kyia gasped and grabbed the flare from her. “Call her on the radio and tell her to turn on that light thing she said would light up the tent.” The tent was made of a special material that glowed under ultraviolet light  
Jinora did so, Asami's response was brief but reassuring, “understood, Jinora, I'm coming” and ten minutes later there was the clatter of propellers  
“She's here!” Kyia called, unzipped the tent and poked her head out. Sure enough, the plane was waiting for them and Asami was running to the tent. “Sams!!” Kyia called  
“Kyia!!” Asami called back and they met in a tight embrace  
“I missed you so much, babe”  
“How is she?”  
“Not good”  
“No...” Asami felt the entire area spin  
“We need to get her on the plane, now” Opal had wrapped Korra up in blankets so her badly damaged and bandaged arms were hidden from view  
“I'll take her” Asami offered  
“It’s a two-woman job” Kyia stated before she grabbed Korra's top half. “You get her legs” between them they were able to carry the injured girl into the plane and then went back for all the equipment while Asami stayed with Korra  
“Oh, Korra...” Asami began, “I'm so sorry...” she lightly kissed her forehead before a buzzing interrupted them  
“All the kit is on board, let’s go” Kyia declared over the radio  
“Someone should stay with Korra” Asami replied  
“I'm here” Jinora called from the other side of the room  
“Right, otay then” Asami whispered and blushed. There was something about this girl that made her want to stay by her side. Asami forced the feelings down and ran back to the cockpit, quickly engaging the motors to get the plane in the air

Kyia came to join her minutes later, “you know I think we have a problem?”  
“Oh?”  
“I noticed how you reacted to Korra being hurt”  
“I know you did, Kyia, but I still love you just as strongly”  
“Please don't lie to me Sams”  
“I'm not”  
“You're destined to be with Korra, not me”  
“Kyia...” Asami began but Kyia had already left. Asami returned to flying the plane, fighting back tears

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Spirits, this is probably my longest chapter so far...


	7. Awakening

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Korra wakes up and meets some familiar faces, as well as some unfamiliar ones too

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the delay in finishing this chapter, was incredibly busy doing other stuff until last night

“W... Where am I?” Korra groaned, her eyes opened slowly but she clamped them shut again because of the incredibly bright sunlight that was shining down on her. “S... Sunlight?” she gasped, she had not seen the sunlight for a very, very long time. She had seen the night sky briefly twice, once when she was brought out of the cave and taken to the hospital and again just before she had been thrown into her cell. She hadn’t seen or felt the warmth of the sun since before she was trapped in the crystals.  
“Welcome back” a slightly disapproving voice muttered  
“W... Where am I?” Korra groaned and tried to sit up  
“Wait...” the voice moved further away and she heard a door shut, the disapproving voice called to someone but she couldn't make out what was being said because she felt all woozy from her wounds  
The door opened, “Korra!!” a voice exclaimed, one she had last heard before she was condemned to that jail under the ice but it was a voice she couldn't ever forget.  
“Asami?” Korra groaned  
“Yes, Korra.” Asami pulled something out of her pocket and fiddled with it a bit, she then lifted it to her ear, much to Korra's confusion. “Ora! Our guest is awake!” Asami exclaimed  
“W... What's that?”  
“This? It's a cell phone” Asami explained  
“You have those now?” Korra asked blankly  
“Yup” Jinora, Opal and Kyia ran into the room, followed closely by an older woman who looked similar to the disapproving woman  
“Korra!” Jinora exclaimed and jumped on the bed, closely followed by the other three who sat down more gracefully  
“Glad to see you awake, Korra” Kyia whispered  
“Korra, my name is Suyin and this is my sister, Lin,” the woman who looked like the disapproving woman said quickly  
“Hmph”  
“Nice to meet you” Korra smiled up at them  
“Oh she really is dorky isn't she?” Suyin smiled and joined them on sitting on Korra's bed while Asami nodded enthusiastically and happily  
“W... What am I doing here?” Korra groaned and fiddled with the bandages on her arms  
“Korra, don't do that” Kyia grabbed her hands and pulled them apart, away from her arms. Korra burst into tears and she grabbed Kyia’s hand as well as Asami’s and pulled them close  
“I'm so, so, so sorry, Korra” Asami muttered, her voice full of regret  
“W... What am I doing here?”  
“We rescued you, Korra” Jinora smiled  
“I'm free?”  
“Yes, Korra” Asami winced when Korra leant on her arm and it gave way under her weight, this did not go unnoticed by Korra who looked up in concern  
 ** _Sorry, soulmate_** Korra thought, to her the idea of soulmates was the norm, she had no idea that Amon had destroyed soulmate bonding. “Are you otay, Asami?”  
“Yes, I'm fine.” **_Don't worry about it, soulmate_** , Asami didn't know how this soulmate stuff worked but it seemed as if only she recognised the voice that was speaking in her mind. “You seemed far away”  
“Sorry, was apologising to my soulmate”  
Lin and Kya, the latter of whom had just entered, looked at each other in confusion. “I thought Amon had stolen the soulmate links? Or at that's what mom always told me at least” Kya pondered  
“I dunno” Lin replied  
“Hey” Korra smiled nervously at Kya, who although she was wearing modern clothes, there was something familiar about them to Korra  
“Hi, Korra, my name's Kya”  
“Hi, Kya” Korra looked around, “you all cooperated to get me out of that place?”  
“No, Korra” Asami smiled, “it was me, Jinora, Opal and Kyia who helped you escape”  
“And saved your life” Kyia added, smiling. There's certainly something about this girl, Asami is right  
“I didn't want to be saved” Korra pouted, “I'm nothing. The world doesn't need me anymore”  
“And what makes you say that, Korra?” Opal said sadly, hugging the injured women tightly while still avoiding her self-inflicted wounds  
“I lost my bending, all of it. Gone”   
Kya and Lin stepped forward, followed closely by Suyin, “you could bend?”   
“Yes. Water. Earth. Fire. And sorta air”  
“No... No way, but that's just a myth!” Suyin stumbled back in shock  
“What?”  
“A bender who can bend all four elements... The avatar”  
“Well that WAS me” Korra sighed, “but that's all gone now, thanks to that bastard Amon”  
“We also found high concentrations of an unknown substance in your body, Korra. It attaches itself to the chi paths that survived Amon’s attack and blocks them artificially”  
“What's that supposed to mean?”  
“You may still be able to bend an element”  
Korra gasped in shock, “which one?!”  
“Were any still intact after you lost your bending?”  
“I... Can't remember” Korra sighed, Lin, Kya and Suyin looked at her with wonder while Asami, Kyia, Jinora and Opal looked on in confusion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, my apologies for the delay, I'll hopefully be updating all of my fanfics over the next few days


	8. Relics of a time long past

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Korra reveals a little about her past

Korra had finally been allowed outside her room because she was strong enough to wheel her wheelchair around, prior to that Korra had been on an enforced bed rest. She had learned that she was in a secretive and hidden state that looked out of place in the modern world. The city was called Zaofu and Korra quickly learned that Opal's mother Suyin was the matriarch of the hidden city. Opal had suggested taking Korra there to the others because of what had happened last time they tried to get her help. While Opal didn't know much about Zaofu's history beyond what her mother had told her, she trusted her mother and had turned to her before whenever she found herself in difficulty, her mother was an ex-criminal who had never been caught and had set up a new home in a large mountainous region that made it difficult to get to. “Good morning, Korra” Suyin called to her when she passed  
“Morning Mrs Beifong”  
“Call me Su, Korra”  
“Alright... Su”  
“That's better, now, Korra, do you want any breakfast? My chef really makes some amazing food”  
“Not really, I'm not very hungry”  
Suyin was about to reply when she turned at a noise. “Hi, mom” Korra also turned and saw a young woman slightly older than her with a birthmark under her right eye  
“Kuvira” Suyin smiled and hugged her  
“Who's this?” Kuvira looked at Korra, taking in her fresh out of bed look, her slightly stained pyjamas and all the bandages on her arms, her face was one of surprise until she got to the bandages, then she radiated concern  
“This is Korra, Kuvira. Opal and her friends rescued her from a crystalline prison”  
Kuvira moved forward and placed her hand on Korra's shoulder, “you don't need to worry, you're safe here”  
“Nice to meet you too, Kuvira” Korra stood and tried to smile but her arms were aching and she couldn't lift her arms to return the gesture of friendship  
Kuvira’s expression became one of worry, “Korra, stay with me”  
“I'm... Fine...” Korra had swayed on her feet and would've collapsed had Suyin and Kuvira not moved to support her  
“You ought to sit down, Korra” Kuvira suggested  
“I'm fine...” Korra noticeably shrunk, “but maybe I will take you up on your offer”  
Korra was helped from the wheelchair to the table by the women, “good morning Lin!” Suyin called  
The grumpy woman Korra had met a couple of days ago smiled and made her way into the dining hall. “Morning, Su.” She embraced her sister before she turned to Korra, “you don't look so good, kid”  
“I feel fine” Korra snapped, “why is everyone worried about me?!” she growled, perturbed by the sudden show of affection and caring

“Korra, are you unfamiliar with people caring about you?” Kuvira's question was so unexpected that Korra's mouth fell open and she was unable to speak  
“Korra, you can be honest here”  
“Then... Yes” Kuvira closed her eyes as if she knew what the answer was going to be but had hoped that it wouldn't be. “My parents, I only have vague recollections of then... I was taken from them by a group of people who said they wanted to help me. It was the dead of night and they came and took me...” Kuvira looked horrified. “I grew up surrounded by people who didn't really care about me and were only concerned about turning me into a weapon to serve their almighty principles of philosophy, beauty and truth. I was only four when they took me”  
“Oh Korra” Kuvira gently embraced her and hugged her while tears ran down her face  
“By the time I was seventeen, I’d had enough and did a runner to Republic City. I lived on the streets for a while, until Amon” Suyin gasped, “he came along and everything changed. He attacked me and claimed to know who I was... Which would've been quite an achievement since I didn't really know who I was at the time thanks to all those years locked away and being brainwashed by those people” Suyin moved forward and also supported Korra who, although sitting, was still struggling to remain upright, the blood loss and emotions having a negative impact. “He did... Something, I felt intense pain and something snapped in my head, after that I was too weak to lift my own head but a friend of mine came along and dragged me away, she had followed me from the prison place and dragged me away, she was the only one who seemed to care and I can't even remember her name... I think it began with 'P'?” Korra sighed, “anyway cut forward a couple of days and they found us again, Amon threatened an old woman who remained vaguely familiar with two young children being at risk of harm so she had little choice. She sealed me in my crystalline prison. The last thing I saw through the crystals was Amon doing the same thing to the old woman, my friend and the two children” Korra teared up, “I wasn’t able to help them... Damn that Amon, he took it all from me then forced me to watch while he did the same to others, including two kids”  
“Do you know the names of the older ladies?”  
“I think I know one, her name was Toph, a living legend” Suyin, Lin and Kuvira jumped up in surprise, “you know of her?”  
“Korra, she was mine and Lin's mother”  
“Oh I'm so sorry” Korra sighed, she had realised who the children were  
“Why?”  
“That HE did THAT to you” Korra's words triggered something in Lin and Suyin who staggered backwards, Suyin being caught by Kyia and Lin by Asami and Jinora.  
“We... We... We were benders?” Suyin muttered  
“Yes, we were” Lin nodded her head and smiled at Korra who was taken aback for a few seconds before she nodded and smiled back at Lin

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Duplicate chapter 8 deleted, AO3 kept it as a draft even after posting for some reason. thanks to GirlKaito for pointing this out


	9. Wound care

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Korra's recovery continues in Zaofu. After a painful experience, Korra and two other people realise something about each other

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **warning:** may be triggering

Korra, Kyia, Asami, Jinora and Opal had been in Zaofu for several weeks, Korra's arms weren't healing as quickly as she had hoped, she was eager to get back out there and help people. Maybe she could restore balance regardless of her inability to bend since nobody else seemed to be able to bend either. Kyia and Asami were also eager to get out there but Opal and Jinora were a little more apprehensive. Firstly, Korra's wounds hadn't healed, secondly, there was an immense amount of corruption that five people who were only just adults couldn't really do much about. “I wanna get started... I've missed out enough time I should've been helping people” Korra had whispered to Asami and Kyia  
“I know, Korra” Kyia whispered while trying to calm the older girl by rubbing her shoulders  
“Korra” Kya called, “I need to have a look at your wounds”  
“Now, Kya?” Korra pouted  
“Yes, Korra... Now” Kya replied firmly  
“I can do it” Kyia called back, Korra still wasn't used to all the new faces and although she reluctantly allowed Suyin and Lin into the same room as her, she still didn't trust them and tended to freak out if none of the girls were there to hold her hand. Korra didn't even let Kya, Suyin's children or any of the guards into her room without freaking out, she was a little bit better with Kuvira than the rest of them and was happy to spend some time with Opal and Jinora but she preferred only being around Kyia and Asami.  
“I'd rather supervise” Kya called back and Korra took a deep breath in, here fear evident in her eyes, “but if you're sure you can manage I'll make sure the supplies are outside the door for you”

“I'm worried about her, Su” Kya whispered, cupping Suyin’s cheek in her hand  
“I know” Suyin replied, hugging Kya  
Kya withdrew, “she doesn’t want to spend time with anyone but those girls, and indulging her isn't helping her overcome her fears”  
“I know Kya, but we have to do this at Korra's pace”  
Kya sighed and walked out, “Lin” she nodded coolly at the other woman  
“Kya” Lin replied, also coolly  
“What, Lin” Suyin snapped when she noticed Lin glaring at her  
“Nothing” she replied, but from the tone of her voice it was far from nothing  
“Oh whatever, I'm through with your drama crap, Lin. It's nice that you come and visit every now and again and it’s nice that you've stayed for an extended period this time, _for Korra_ ” she emphasised the last two words knowing full well it was an excuse, “but lately I don't know what's got into you.” She sighed, “whatever I've done, I'm sorry”  
“You don't even know” Lin's eyes narrowed, “and that's at least half the problem”  
“If you don't tell me I'll never know for sure!” Suyin's voice rose slightly before there was a hiss from the far corner. She looked around and saw Kuvira standing by the doors  
“You know, screaming at each other is a surefire way to get Korra to trust you” Kuvira sighed  
“You're right” Suyin took a deep breath, “please, Linny, tell me what's bothering you”  
“If you can't fucking work it out for yourself...” Lin scoffed and walked out the far entrance in a towering temper  
“Make sure she stays away from Korra's room, I think she'll be more open to what you have to say at the moment”  
“Of course, mom.” Kuvira cuddled her adoptive mother and returned to Korra's room. She knocked and entered after picking up the supplies that Kya had left outside for Kyia to treat Korra's arms

“Kuvira?” Korra asked timidly  
“I'm here, Korra. You're safe”  
Korra relaxed back into Kyia’s and Asami's arms. For a few moments she had been terrified it was Lin or Suyin or worse, one of the others. “Hey” Korra breathed weakly  
“Korra...” Kuvira put the medical supplies down on the table next to her bed and sat on the bed, “you can't keep hiding away in here forever” she gently smiled at Korra. “I know you're terrified of everyone, trust me I went through a period in my life when I was the same, but hiding in here isn't the way to beat that fear”  
“Maybe I don't want to beat it?” Korra whispered in a small voice. It was clearly one of Korra's bad days  
“Nonsense, Korra. You do want to beat it, and I know you’d be a lot happier once you do... You met my mom before you... Regressed. She's a nice person, and so is Kya. Her and my mom are happy, and neither of them would settle for someone who isn't as caring as they are. Even aunt Lin is...”  
“Scary”  
“No, Korra” Kuvira corrected her gently, “she has a heart of gold really, but it became damaged after a failed relationship”  
“Oh” was all Korra could think to say, she hadn't ever been very good with her own emotions, much less those of other people  
“it's alright, Korra...” Kuvira moved over to the medical tray, “Kyia, Kya wants this done as soon as possible”  
“Alright, Kuvira, Korra, you mind letting me go?”  
Korra pouted a little but loosened her arms. “Come back soon” she whispered  
“I will as soon as I'm done with your arms. Kuvira, mind being nurse?”  
“No, of course not”  
“Then let's begin, Asami, keep her calm”  
“Otay” Asami nodded, wrapped her arms tightly around Korra's stomach and squeezed her reassuringly  
Kuvira began by helping Kyia to unwrap Korra’s arms. Kuvira did the right arm and Kyia the left. “Oh my” was all Kuvira could manage when she had reached the innermost bandages which were still wet  
“Shh, Korra, shh” Korra's laboured breathing was punctuated by Asami's attempted soothing. Asami occasionally winced in pain  
“You know what to do?” Kyia asked Kuvira who nodded. “Go through it”  
“I need to remove these bandages, clean Korra's wounds, check for signs of infection, check for broken stitches and then apply new antiseptic to the wounds, both inside and out.” She eyed the syringe loaded with antiseptic liquid, thankful there was no needle else she would've been on the floor, “apply the iodine pads and absorbent padding then wrap her arm back up”  
“Correct” Kyia offered her a small smile knowing that it would be easier said than done. They made quick work of removing the bandages and checking for infection, as well as checking for any broken stitches. Korra, who had managed to keep quiet other than a few whimpers when the wounds were being wiped, winced. She knew what was coming next. Kyia and Kuvira applied the antiseptic on to the outside of the wound and Korra gasped, the alcohol and chemical mix stinging on her wounds  
“Ow” Korra grunted but didn't offer much resistance, that was until Kyia inserted the head of the syringe into the wound, Korra let out another pained gasp before she screamed when Kyia gently applied pressure and the antiseptic began cleaning out the wound. Anything foreign in the wound was forced out by the antiseptic liquid while it also killed off any bacteria in the wound. Kyia skillfully limited the flow of antiseptic into the wound so it didn't aggravate the healing tissue and so it didn't damage any of the newly formed scar tissue. Even though Kyia was being gentle, it still hurt, a lot. Korra screamed again, the antiseptic had now filled the wound and was flowing nicely out and on to the gauze they had put out to capture any liquid that escaped. Kuvira gasped when a few little flakes of metal were carried out by the liquid  
“Wow” Kuvira breathed, amazed that, even after it had been done a couple of times before though Korra had been vehemently opposed to it, there were still flakes of metal in the wound. Kya had originally intended to do the cleaning every day but Korra proved to be an incredibly difficult person to treat. After many hours of persuasion, Korra had agreed to allow it to be done every few days but only if Kyia and Asami stayed by her side. Kya wouldn't normally have insisted on using the antiseptic liquid inside the wounds but Korra's reluctance to be treated made it necessary. Korra writhed in pain and screamed again, then, it was over. Kyia withdrew the syringe and gestured at Kuvira to wipe the wound and get out what she could of the antiseptic liquid before she applied the various antiseptic iodine and absorbent pads and bandaged up the wound. Kyia sighed and walked over to the other side of Korra's bed, bracing herself for the worst of the two injuries.  
“Ow ow ow!” Kyia hadn't even been able to unwrap Korra’s left arm before she was writhing in pain, Kyia's eyes widened as they always did when she saw this wound. A lot of stitches had been used and reapplied in the few weeks they had been there but fortunately this time there was no need to redo any of the stitches. “Shit!! Asami it hurts!!” Korra yelled, Kyia had inserted the other syringe and was flushing out the wound as she had with Korra's right arm. Before she could finish Korra tore her arm away, “NO MORE!” She shrieked and a little dribble of blood ran down her arm from where she had torn it away from Kyia. Asami had buried her head in Korra's shoulder to hide the fact that she was in considerable pain  
“Alright, Korra” Kyia was blinking rapidly, trying to get rid of the tears that were making the job a hundred times harder. She abandoned the flush and instead got to work drying and bandaging Korra's arm back up. Kuvira had already finished and was holding Korra's right hand tightly, Asami was still holding Korra's waist and was squeezing her against herself. Kyia finished the bandaging in record time before she reached out and gently took the IV line that was still embedded in Korra's arm from her time in the compound and was protected from tampering by a cast, she put a syringe against it and pressed the plunger before Korra even had a chance to work out what was going on. Her eyes widened when she felt a coldness in her arm as she realised what had happened but her pained expression quickly left her face when the medication kicked in. “I would never use that to hurt you, Korra” Kyia breathed through her sobs, her heart broke at Korra's expression and her heart throbbed painfully when Korra looked at her in pain and fear  
“We care, Korra” Kuvira gently stroked Korra's hand in a gesture of their quickly developing close friendship before she left to go and give Kya a report about the injuries. Kya wouldn’t have been very welcome, even less so than normal. At a time like that Korra only wanted Kyia and Asami around. She didn't mind Kuvira but she was reluctant for even Opal and Jinora to see her in that state.

“Korra” Opal whispered as she moved towards Korra once she had been given a nod by Korra  
Jinora waited respectfully by the door until Korra had also nodded at her before entering, “Korra” Jinora sighed and wrapped the older girl’s hand in her own. Asami was still holding Korra's waist, Kyia had her head resting on her chest and Jinora had her other hand.  
“We were so worried”  
“I'm sorry” Korra groaned, frowning. It still didn't really make sense to her that these people truly cared about her as a person instead of her as the 'bringer of balance' she had always been told she had to be  
“Just so long as you're alright” Opal replied  
“No... N... Next time you can stay” Korra whispered  
“Are you sure?”  
“Yes”  
Opal smiled, as did Jinora and they wrapped their hands around the older girl's hands. “Thank you” both muttered just as Korra kissed Kyia and Asami.  
“Korra!” Asami blushed  
“I know who you are” Korra replied, **_soulmate_**  
Asami blushed but smiled, “yes, Korra.” **_I know you are, in fact, I think I've always known, deep down_**  
“And I want you to know, Kyia, that I love you too”  
“Thanks, Korra”  
“Yeah, what Korra said... I love you too, Kyia” Asami echoed  
“Wow” Jinora’s mouth was hanging open. She had heard of rare cases where more than two people entered a mutual relationship, but she hadn’t even stopped to consider the possibility that her best friends could be some of them  
 ** _What's this?_** Kyia's voice echoed inside Korra's and Asami's heads, **_I can hear some of your thoughts?_**  
 ** _Yay!_** Asami exclaimed  
 ** _That's a relief_** Korra admitted, **_I was worried when I couldn't sense yours like I could Asami's_**  
 ** _Sorry to worry you two beautiful women_** Kyia smiled a wide smile and they moved in simultaneously to kiss, their actions as one


	10. New love

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FORGOTTEN CHAPTER: I had forgotten to include a chapter, I managed to skip to chapter five and left out chapter four, this has now been rectified, go back and read chapter four ('education'), nothing else in the story has changed so there's no need to reread from chapter four onwards

Lin and Kya watched Korra, Asami and Kyia’s first kiss through the gap. “It seems I owe you twenty yuans” Kya whispered  
“Polygamy for the win” Lin smirked, she turned and kissed Kya's cheek  
“What are you doing?” Opal had walked up to them whilst they were spying  
“Keeping an eye on those three?” Kya replied, “and making sure Korra doesn't hurt herself again”  
“As well as winning a bet” Lin added with a grin  
“Leave them alone” Opal replied, she walked up to the door, knocked and entered  
“Opal!” Asami exclaimed  
“I didn't expect that...” Opal murmured with her mouth hanging open. Korra, Asami and Kyia were all kissing. Opal knew of course that Asami and Kyia were together but she hadn’t expected them to form a triad with Korra  
Kyia looked at her curiously. “Opal?”  
“I'm fine with it girls. Jinora will love knowing you're all happy” she paused. “By the way, Lin and Kya made a bet regarding... This”  
“Who won?” Korra asked, completely fine with them knowing about their relationship. She had, after all, caught Lin and Kya kissing only a few hours earlier  
“Lin”  
“Kood for her”  
“Korra, you're fine with people knowing?” Kyia asked  
“Of course, why shouldn't I be?”  
Asami paused, not wanting to upset her friend. “Korra...” she began  
“Yes, Asami?”  
“A lot of people still believe a relationship should be between two people, a man and a woman ideally”  
“Well they're ignorant then, aren't they?” Korra growled  
“We’re certainly a rarity, Korra” Asami replied sadly, “most people, even those like me who like both males and females”  
“And people like me, who like people of the same sex” Kyia continued  
“Form diads. Relationships between three people are exceedingly rare”  
“Well I'm the avatar, they just have to deal with my decisions or face the consequences”  
“Korra, aunt Lin wouldn't let anyone disapprove of your relationship, at least not without breaking their jaw.” Opal piped up, her voice filled with the pride she felt towards Korra for not caring what others thought  
Korra laughed, she could easily imagine Lin doing just that, “she could do so after I punched them senseless” Korra laughed, she no longer felt afraid of Lin as she had been to begin with. “You know what?” she asked, she looked at Opal, “being here isn't as bad as I first made it out to be”  
“I'm glad, Korra” Opal replied. “maybe you'd join us all for a meal this evening”  
“Woah, hold up there...” Asami muttered hurriedly, “I don't know if Korra's...”  
“Sweetie, it’s alright, I think I'm ready”  
“Great! I'll go tell mom!” Opal sprinted off to go and see her mother  
“ I love you, Korra” Asami whispered, “I love you Kyia”  
“I love you Kyia” Korra followed Asami's lead and whispered to Kyia, she then turned to Asami. “I love you, Asami”  
“I love you, Kyia. I love you Korra” Asami leaned in and pecked both their cheeks. “My beautiful girls”  
“Hehe awww,” Lin had snuck into the room and was watching the trio share how they truly feel.  
“Lin” Asami nodded at her  
“You three are cute”  
“Yes, they are both cute aren't they, Lin” Kyia replied whilst in the depths of a deep blush. “I got lucky... This, us, is the best I could've ever hoped for”  
“A dream come true” Korra added, “literally”  
“Hmm?” Asami's lilt replaced words  
“I dreamt that I wasn’t locked in that compound and instead, I was with you two”  
“Aww Korra, I'm so sorry it took us that long to get to you” Asami sighed

“Dinner!!” the call echoed through the house and Korra was nervously pulling at the cloth sleeves she had been given by Kuvira to hide her scars. Asami and Kyia were standing either side of her and they grasped Korra's hands reassuringly  
“We’re right here, Korra” Asami whispered  
“I know”  
“We love you, Korra” Kyia squeezed Korra's hand as they entered the massive dining hall.  
“Korra!” Suyin called, “it's nice you've decided to join us”  
“Thank you Suyin” Korra mumbled nervously  
“Sit down then” Suyin called. Korra, Asami and Kyia sat down with Kyia next to Opal, who was next to Kuvira. Korra sat between Kyia and Asami.  
Kuvira gave Korra a little nod and a wave and mouthed, “proud of you”  
Korra smiled and relaxed into her chair, Opal's family were as respectful as their mother. Even the two rowdy children, the twins Wing and Wei, didn't make any comments about Korra's separate sleeves she was wearing, the short sleeved t-shirt she was wearing didn't do anything to conceal her scars. Korra was relieved and thankful that she wasn't being pestered with questions but she also saw Kuvira's eyes were filled with sorrow  
The food was delicious, and Korra, as always, was starving. She had three servings of everything. After being confined to prison food for three years she was trying to enjoy as much of the wonderful food she now had access to. Korra had been too unwell to eat when she had first arrived. “Wow... Suyin...” Korra talked through a mouthful of food  
“I'm glad you like it, Korra”  
One of the guards rushed in, “Ma’am, there's a Lord Zuko coming into land on dock five. He's in a hurry because apparently someone he had custody of has escaped”  
“Shit” Asami whispered  
“Oh damn” Jinora hissed  
Suyin saw their looks of panic, thanked the guard and told him to hold Zuko at the airship dock. He rushed off and Suyin looked at Opal, she nodded and grabbed her friends’ hands, dragging them out of the dining hall and away from the main building. They had just left the main building when there was a panting noise behind them, Kuvira had run after them. “Are you alright?” she exclaimed  
“Fine, Kuvira” Opal replied  
“Come this way” Kuvira beckoned to the group and they followed her down a tunnel that had emerged in a ruined building. They saw a number of military groups forming a perimeter around the city  
“Shit”  
“Opal, what did you do?”  
“Sorta rescued this one” Opal nodded at Korra “from a prison camp deep in the frozen tundra of the South Pole, where Zuko had her in a cage”  
“That twat” Kuvira hissed. “Did she get a trial, or even commit a crime?”  
“Nope”  
“Fuck him, come on, let's get you out of the city and away from _them_ ”


	11. Ghosts of a forgotten past

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Korra, Kyia, Asami, Opal and Jinora, and their new friend Kuvira must escape from those attempting to recapture Korra, but a major spanner is thrown in the works when Korra starts to feel ill

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the delay, my one update a week schedule has gone right out the window lately
> 
> FORGOTTEN CHAPTER: I had forgotten to include a chapter, I managed to skip to chapter five and left out chapter four, this has now been rectified, go back and read chapter four ('education'), nothing else in the story has changed so there's no need to reread everything from four onwards

“Guys, I don't feel too good...” Korra had curled up on the ground a few miles from Zaofu. She groaned and moved into a tighter ball  
“Come on Korra we've gotta get you out of here sweetie” Kyia tried to pick Korra up but she was made of muscle and Kyia hadn't really been training since they had rescued Korra  
“I'll help you” Kuvira offered  
“Thanks” Kyia nodded but to her surprise, Asami came forward and grabbed Korra's legs.  
“We did not go through all that _shit_ to have her taken back there now. She has a family.” Asami yelled angrily, **_Korra, baby, please get up_**. Asami's change in tone was immediate, she had been yelling angrily but had turned the volume down and spoke much softer when she spoke to Korra through their three-way soulmate bond  
**_I... can't_**  
**_Kyia, help?_**  
“Fuck!” Kyia swore and grunted when she picked Korra up. **_Kor, sweetie, come on we've gotta get outta here_**  
**_No. Go. Leave me and go_**  
“We are not leaving you here my sweetheart” Asami whispered to Korra  
“What?! Korra! No!” Opal gasped while Jinora teared up  
“I don't think anyone here wants to leave you” Kuvira finally spoke and shook Korra out of her episode of hopelessness  
“Fine” Korra grumbled but uncurled herself and allowed her arms and legs to be grabbed, albeit gently.  
“Where's the plane, Asami?”  
“Back at the city”  
“Shit. Looks like we're running” Opal sighed  
“There are some people!!” A man's voice called  
“Come on let's get them!” Another yelled  
“Shit... Uh, ladies, we gotta move” Kyia grabbed a blade from her back and pulled it out, tossing it to Opal  
“Right” Asami pulled her glove out  
Korra meanwhile was being carried by Kyia and Kuvira, she was no longer responsive

_Korra found herself in a cave lit only by eerie green glowing from a few of the crystals. 'What is this place?' She watched as two young children were brought before a masked man, the very sight of him made Korra want to throw up in fear. She then saw an elderly lady be led forward in platinum chains and another, younger woman having been tied in place also with platinum chains._  
_“I told you I would destroy you...” the man whispered menacingly, in the deathly silent cave, he had no reason to lift his voice above a whisper._  
_“No, please! Don't... Don't... Don't do this” Korra started when she heard her own voice, begging for mercy from the masked man. “AMON!!!” she shrieked_  
_“Your time is at an end, avatar” Amon moved forward and placed his hand on Korra's forehead. She evidently was unable to fight back. “Good work, Lieutenant, you were right, the shirshu poison did indeed cripple her ability to defend herself”_  
_“This is not over” Korra heard the voice that was entangled with hundreds of others before someone else stepped up and hit her younger self in the back of the neck just as she was beginning to move again_  
_“Oh, but it is” Korra felt another uncomfortable twinge in her stomach and had she not been... there, she would've thrown up. She recognised that voice but she didn't know why_  
_“No...”_  
_“Take her bending, I will then uphold my part of the bargain” the other man declared, he turned back to Korra. “I'll kill those children if you try anything like that again, Raava”_  
_The elderly woman's face went white. “Please don't hurt them!!” she begged_  
_“So long as Korra and Raava comply, I won't have any reason to”_  
_'Who's... Raava?' Korra tried to get them to hear her but their attention was still focused on the tied up version of herself_  
_“There. That wasn't so bad was it?” Amon moved away and Korra watched herself sag weakly_  
_“Now, my turn” the other man began using some intricate arm movements to flex the water that was nearby and form it into a helix around Korra. “Goodbye, Korra,” he said without remorse, without feeling of any kind. He caused the water to glow purple and Korra watched herself slowly glow purple too. He brought it up over the younger Korra’s head and she screamed but quietened quickly._  
_“There she is!” Amon growled, pointing at a weakened looking kite spirit lying nearby and the other man was on the offensive, he smashed up the spirit then smiled down at the still unmoving Korra._  
_“Let's finish this, Amon, or should I call you, Noatak?”_  
_“You know, Unalaq?”_  
_“Of course. I'd have had to be an idiot to not work it out”_  
_“She's the final barrier before true equality can be achieved”_  
_“We can achieve true equality”_  
_“No, Unalaq, I'm afraid from here on out, it's just me” Amon raised his hand and suddenly Unalaq, who had been readying a strike, was immobilised_  
_“You traitor!”_  
_“Your services are no longer required, Lieutenant” Amon added, the Lieutenant was also frozen to the spot. Korra heard their blood vessels straining under Amon’s witchcraft_  
_“You're... a bloodbender?”_  
_“The very best, Unalaq” Amon clenched his hand and they both fell at his feet. “Now, will you be kind enough to do the final thing?” Amon asked the elderly lady kindly enough but she knew the consequences of refusal_  
_“No, mom! Don’t do it!” One of the kids cried_  
_“Silence” the young girl’s mouth snapped shut at Amon’s bidding_  
_“Fine” she stepped forward and the crystal near the young Korra moved and encased her in a prison of crystal_  
_“Goodbye, Toph” Amon said, he did whatever it was he did to remove bending and Toph fell to the floor, he then moved on to the two children and as he was reaching out to do the same to them, Korra heard a voice_  
_“This... It's not over”_  
_Amon had already left by the time Korra had stopped looking around the cave for the source of the voice, a voice only she has seemed to hear, it was impossible to tell if the other her had heard it because of the crystal. Toph and the two children ran out of the cave, the two children seemed to be leading Toph for some reason. “We have to stop him, mommy”_  
_“There's nothing we can do, Lin”_  
_Korra paused and looked back at the crystal, her vision starting to fade as the younger version of herself started to suffocate. There was a sudden bright flash from within the crystal. “This is not over” the voice repeated, then Korra blacked out_

“Korra?!”  
“Kyia?”  
“Korra!” Kyia’s voice came through a little clearer this time. “Thank the spirits, you’re alright!” **_Sams, she's awake_**  
Korra looked around, she found herself in the recovery position which she recognised from one of her many attempts to end her life in that compound, she saw the floor in front of her was coated in puke. _So, I did throw up_ Korra thought  
**_Thank the spirits_**  
“A... Asami?”  
“She's not here” Kuvira smiled down at Korra and wiped the puke away from Korra a little using a makeshift brush made out of a conifer branch. She swept the puke away and into a little pool that had already been formed from Korra's puking.  
“Spirits Korra I've never seen so much puke come from one person.” Jinora groaned, barely holding down her own puke  
“Ora...?” Korra croaked  
“I'm here, Korra. Opal and Asami are currently fighting whoever those men were, I believe they are Zuko's henchmen”  
“Job done!!” a voice called, Opal collapsed against a nearby cliff face, breathing heavily  
“We beat them, Kyia” Asami's voice washed over Korra like cold water and she groaned  
“Good work sweetheart” Kyia replied  
**_'Sami, Kyia_**  
**_Yes, sweetie?_**  
**_We're here Korra_**  
**_I missed you, both of you_**  
**_Me and Sams missed you too, Korra_**  
Korra found herself in their loving embrace, she smiled but sagged slightly into their arms. **_Whatever it was Korra, you're safe. Kyia and I wouldn't ever let anything happen to you_**  
**_I know_** Korra finally felt safe

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I enjoyed writing Korra's... Vision? Flashback? Don't worry though, as Raava said, this is not over
> 
> Three stories updated in 24 hours? I'm on a roll here...! This was slightly annoying to do with each new line needing a separate italics code thing... Anyone know of a way to turn an entire paragraph into italics?


	12. Remnant

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Korra learns about an ability she never realised she still had while hiding from Zuko and his forces

“How long do you reckon we have to hide here for?”  
“No clue, Kor”  
“Why won't that scarred fuck leave me alone?!”  
“I don't know, Kor”  
“In the olden days, he wouldn't have dared gone up against me!” Korra flexed her muscles and Kyia and Asami laughed, but she did not, she had noticed something had changed. “Wait, girls” she whispered. She breathed in and out deeply, to Asami and Kyia things felt different, the air was moving too much in the cave. The entrance gap was only half a metre in diameter and they’d had to pull themselves through on their stomachs to get in, it was too small to account for the breeze that was flowing through the cave. “What the?!” she had a glint of hope in her eyes. Wary of her two girls in the cave with her, she breathed in and directed her hand at the hole. There was a whoosh of air and a scream in the distance.  
“Aaaagh!” it was Jinora's voice. “What the fuck was that?!”  
“Shit...” Korra growled  
“Ope! Ope! Are you alright?”  
“Ugh, yeah, just hurt my tailbone is all”  
“Fuck!” Korra shot herself through the small entry hole with a single shove and stood to run to their sides  
“What are you doing down there, Opal?” Kuvira had heard their yelps and had run to their aid  
“I don't know... Strong gust of wind must've caught the cave entrance right”  
“Ope, there is no cave entrance down that end of the tunnel, it's a dead end. Korra, what are you doing and why are you looking so panicked?”  
“I'm sorry, girls”  
“Why are you apologising?”  
“The wind... It was me”  
“You?”  
“Airbending” Korra looked at them guiltily and helped Opal stand  
“This bending thing you were talking about?”  
“Yes. Watch” Korra summoned the wind again and slowly moved through some basic airbending moves. Each time she moved, the wind in the cave moved with her. “I can airbend? I can airbend!!” Korra crowed jubilantly, tears running down her face.  
“She really can airbend...” Kyia had joined them and her smile was matched by Asami's. **_She wasn't bullshitting, Sams, she really is a bender, a remnant of a time long past..._**  
 ** _I heard that, Kyia_** Korra thought but she was too happy to care  
“Now you can airbend, I think you ought to keep your new skill hidden” Jinora added sadly  
“Why?!”

“Because it'll only make it easier for that Zuko bastard to track you down” a voice called  
“Lin!!” Korra yelped in surprise, blushing furiously  
“I'm glad to see you happier, Korra” the older woman was actually smiling, gone was the perpetual frown and she actually looked pleased. “That Zuko bastard is still in Zaofu but his troops are all over the countryside. I took the plane I used to get to Zaofu, flew to the caves and landed on the other side of the rise, then I came here knowing this is a place that the kids used to hide from Su when they were upset with her”  
“You came looking for us?” Korra asked  
“Yes” Lin smiled again, “I remember you, Korra”  
“You... Remember me?”  
“From the cave”  
“Oh”  
“Korra had a bit of a bad reaction in the way here, she curled up and was unresponsive to everything, she also puked enough for fifty people”  
“It could've been a flashback... Korra, what did you see?”  
“The... The... The cave”  
“Fuck” Lin sighed and looked pointedly at Kyia and Asami who got the message, moving in on either side of Korra and hugging her tightly. “Korra, we need to change your appearance a little, so if Zuzu turns up unannounced again, you don't have to flee to a cave”  
“Zuzu?” Korra scoffed  
“Yeah... Long story though”  
“We've got time, we’re stuck in a cave remember?”  
“Well .. it was a story my mother used to tell me, about the time she and her friends were free from any kind of rules and they roamed the lands of the four nations. My mom, Toph and her friends Katara, Aang and Sokka only really had one enemy to contend with, the Fire Nation, and that enemy was Zuko, as well as his sister Azula later on. She called him Zuzu and the intent wasn't exactly pleasant”  
“I recognise those names!!” Asami exclaimed, “in the network of caves where we found Korra, there was a plaque about something called the 'Crossroads of Destiny'”  
“That was the battle that Aang and Katara fought against Zuko and Azula before the fall of Ba Sing Se. I believe London is what used to be called Ba Sing Se”

“Can you hear voices?”  
“No?”  
Jinora put her fingers to her lips and ushered everyone back through their hole while Kyia shoved a rock to cover the entrance. “Shh” Asami hissed  
“I'm telling you I heard voices!”  
“Let's go look around this cave then”  
“That girl that Lord Zuko was looking after, she ran, didn't she?”  
“I don't know, I was at home when I was drafted by a messenger hawk. He ordered me to come here and join the search, so I did. Zaofu’s matriarch, a woman called Suyin has a history of accepting and sheltering fugitives, Varrick for example”  
“And Hiroshi Sato when he betrayed the Equalists after the Lieutenant was crushed from the inside”  
“Him too”  
 _My dad was in Zaofu?_ “What do they mean?”  
“Shut up, Asami” Lin sighed  
“I don’t think there's anything down here, c’mon we need to get back to Lord Zuko and tell him the area is clear”  
“Let's go. Hopefully, we'll be able to move out of this dismal place now and go home, yanno our proper home”  
“Now that Lord Zuko has lost his charge I reckon everyone will eventually get to go home, even him”  
“Yeah...” the voices faded away into nothingness, Kyia grunted, cracked her neck and pushed the boulder back out of the way  
“Wow... Korra can actually airbend?!” Opal whispered  
“And what was that about my dad hiding in Zaofu?”  
“Why can't Zuzu fuck off and leave my girlfriends alone?”  
“You kids...” Lin rolled her eyes but smiled. “C'mon Korra we ought to get you back to Zaofu and change your appearance. Lin pushed Korra in front of her while Asami and Kyia stood either side of her.   
“Time to go home, Korra” Kyia soothed


	13. Zuko

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Korra and the others come face to face with their nightmare, in their own home

“And who are you, young lady?”  
“I'm... I'm Elako... Sir?” Korra squeaked. She looked completely different from how she had before. Opal, Jinora and Asami had all helped her with various aspects of her appearance, Opal had helped her with her hair, Jinora had helped her with her clothes and Asami had helped her with her makeup. Kyia had sat to one side with a bored expression on her face, she really wasn't a girly girl and she usually hated girly girl stuff but in this instance she had decided to keep her mouth shut since it was essential for their cover story.  
“Please excuse my sister.” Kyia deliberately used the gruffest voice she could muster, “she has a load of anxiety issues” Korra glared at her, **_one to me_**  
“And my brother doesn’t really know how to talk to anyone outside of his ruffian group of friends...” **_The opposition equalises!_**  
“Oh that's alright, Elako, pleased to meet you, my name is Lord Zuko”  
 ** _Cut it out you two, you're meant to be fooling this bloke not scoring points against one another_**  
“I'm sorry... Sir, I don't really know much about you other than what I heard about you from my parents” **_sorry, 'Sami_**  
“Which was what?”  
“How you were always so honourable and always tried to do the right thing”  
 ** _Suck up Kyia thought_**  
 ** _Fuck off Kyia I'm trying to concentrate_**  
“And what are you doing in Zaofu?”  
“Visiting family”  
“I see”

_Shit_ , Korra felt herself begin to panic, she did not like this man one bit after he had locked her away for three years. She wanted nothing more than to give him a scar across his other eye but she knew if she did that, she'd lose her cover  
“Excuse me” Asami interrupted, frankly she was astounded she hadn’t been recognised for who she was but she guessed Zuko wasn't looking for her. She had also applied far more makeup than usual and bleached her hair for good measure. Kyia had suggested bleaching her hair as a joke but she thought it was actually a good idea. “She gets panicky if she's in a room with strangers for too long”  
 ** _Lay it on thick then... If I didn't love you as much as I do I’d be insulted_** Korra grumbled  
 ** _Best way to create a false image of oneself. Quick make yourself hyperventilate_**. “I'm sorry, Lord Zuko, sir, she's beginning to panic” Asami turned to Suyin, “may we be excused?”  
“Very well, Ambar” she whistled, “Kuvira!”  
“Yes, Su?”  
“Will you escort Ambar and Elako back to their room?”  
“Of course”  
 ** _Hyperventilate, Korra, now!_**  
Korra began to wheeze after a few seconds. In reality, it had been far easier to put on a show of panic than she had wanted it to be because that's exactly what every fibre of her being was telling her to do, just being close to Zuko made her feel sick to her stomach and panicky. “Shit. Shit. Shit” Korra hissed between raggedy breaths, Zuko found Kyia's stare on him and he squirmed slightly  
 _Good. You should be squirming after what you put her through!_ Kyia thought, imagining plunging her blade deep into the man's stomach  
 ** _Kyia..._** Asami’s mental voice was one of warning  
 ** _What, a girl can dream can't she?_** Kyia replied innocently, **_are you trying to tell me you've never wanted to take that glove contraption of yours, grab somewhere unpleasant for that evil man and turn it on?_** Kyia realised her mistake when Korra snorted in barely concealed laughter  
 ** _Just make sure it stays a dream..._** Asami looked surprised at the snort and returned her attention to Korra. “What's wrong?”  
“Nothing” Korra mumbled  
“Oh shit she's getting hysterical, we've really gotta go she needs to calm down”

Korra was impressed at Asami's ability to make something up on the spot. On the downside Zuko was looking at them with curiosity in his old eyes and to make things worse Kyia stood between Zuko and Korra, reaching out to slap him. It was only Jinora's timely intervention that stopped her making contact with the man’s scarred face. “Eyes off my sister” she growled angrily, still using her gruff voice, “Pervert” she scowled as she turned away  
“What did you call me?” Zuko's voice was quite calm  
“A pervert. My friend Opal heard you telling Suyin about how you kept a young woman only just a ninth of your age locked up in a secret underground prison!!” Kyia boomed, still managing to keep up the act of being Elako’s brother despite her runaway temper  
“That was for her own good” Zuko replied. Kyia felt her rage reach new levels and she rounded to face the man again  
 _Shit!_ Asami thought, **_chill, Kyia!_**  
“Her own good?! Did you ever stop to think the reason why she ran was because she didn't want to be there?”  
“And how would you know that?”  
“My mother kept me locked in a closet for most of my childhood. It was either me or Elako so I made sure my mother hated me more! So ELAKO wouldn't go through it!!” Kyia was red in the face and the rage behind the words she was yelling was real even if the words themselves were lies. _I hate you, you sick twisted evil old pervert and I'll be damned if I don't let you know it!!_ “So you see, I have quite a good idea of how that poor young woman must've felt... More so than you at least”  
“She needed to be kept safe”  
“From whom? An enemy who's probably been dead for years or... From a two-faced perverted old man?”

Suyin stood up growing tired of the constant yelling, “perhaps you ought to go and help calm Elako down” she was trying to remain diplomatic but she knew she would soon be siding with the angry young woman if she kept it up. Asami had already left with Korra, Opal, Jinora and Kuvira and they could hear the girls attempting to calm Korra  
“And you? You are continuing to allow him to stand here in your home?” Kyia had changed the target of her anger to Suyin without a moment's thought, “I would've thought you as a mother, a _decent_ mother, would've been opposed to what this old pervert had done to a young woman nine times younger than him! Spirits know what happened behind closed doors in that little prison of his!”  
“It's not that simple”  
“No? He may be a Lord but you’re a Beifong”  
“My mother was a close friend of Lord Zuko’s”  
“And I'm sure if she knew what he was doing now, that friendship would've been more than over. Wasn't she a Chief of Police?”  
 _Crap, she's right_ “Yes. Yes, she was”  
“Well...?”   
Kyia watched her deflate, “he's right. Zuko, would you please leave?”  
“My search patrols aren’t back”  
“I assure you I'm not hiding any fugitives here, we’re both getting too old for this crap. Zuko, go. Before he tears you limb from limb”  
“Very well” Zuko turned to leave  
“Fuck off back to the dingy prison camp you came from!!” Kyia spat at Zuko but he didn't look offended rather merely curious. It had been many years since someone had stood their ground against him. Kyia felt a weird sensation run down her arm and she was suddenly able to feel the presence of Zuko's body. Before she could do anything with the knowledge, he had gone  
“Kyia...”  
“I know, Su. I know I shouldn't have spoken to him like that”  
“Thank you”  
“Oh” Kyia hurried off after the other girls, acutely aware of how awkward things had suddenly become.


	14. Enjoying life

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Korra, Asami and Kyia begin to enjoy their new life

“Korra, come on, I need to check your wounds”  
“No. 'm sleepy, go away, Kyia”  
“Come on Korra you need to let me look at your arm”  
“Later, Kyia”  
“Please Korra”  
“Fine” Korra rolled over and stuck her arm out for Kyia to inspect  
“Korra... Have you been picking at the bandages again?”  
“Uh...”  
“You have, haven't you? One of these days we'll have to do something about those fingers of yours, such as slice them off”  
“Please don't”  
“I wouldn't, I need you to have them too much” Kyia watched Korra blush with satisfaction  
 ** _Shut it, Kyia_**  
Kyia shrugged innocently. **_Dunno why you're so irritated._** She winked at Korra who squirmed, blushed and reached out for Kyia  
“I'll teach you a lesson” Korra purred  
“No, Kor, you need to rest your arms not be doing any strenuous exercise”  
Korra blushed at the insinuation, “I'll take it easy, promise”  
“What are you two planning?” Asami poked her head around the door and narrowed her eyes. **_Without me?!_**  
“You were busy talking to that Bataar bloke about engineering!”  
Asami closed the door behind herself and walked over to the bed. **_Three_**  
 ** _Two_** Korra thought while watching Asami closely  
 ** _One_** Asami placed her hands on Kyia's shoulders  
 ** _NOW!!_** Asami pushed Kyia over with all the force she could muster while Korra rolled over to her and rested her head on Kyia's chest  
“Traitors” Kyia muttered but her expression quickly changed into a smile and a single drop of perspiration rolled down her forehead as she gripped the bed covers with both hands

“That... Was incredible” Kyia panted  
“Wow...” Korra smiled and lowered her hand away from her face and wiped them on the bed  
“Kyia... Korra...” Asami looked up through sleepy eyes  
There was a knock on the door, “shit” Kyia groaned, she lazily reached over and pulled the covers over all three of them  
“Yes?” Asami called  
The door opened and Kuvira poked her head around the door, “sorry” she whispered  
“Don't worry” Asami replied  
“Thought you'd like to know that Zuko has gone and hasn't come back. Did I interrupt something?”  
“No” Kyia replied  
“Yes” Asami and Korra replied  
“Sorry” she smiled. “Su would like to see you in her office sometime today”  
“Alright, we’ll get ready and go there soon”  
“Alright” Kuvira eyed Asami's top that had been discarded on the floor before she hurried out, none of the trio of girls could see Kuvira's smile

“Hey, Su” Asami called  
“Girls!” Suyin ran to them and hugged them  
“You wanted to see us?”  
“I wanted to apologise for earlier. Korra, Asami, I ordered Zuko to leave, Kyia, you were right. I shouldn’t have even allowed him to land”  
Now Kyia had calmed down, she could think more logically, “no, Su, it's alright. Had you refused him, he would've just broken in covertly. He's had a chance to search the city so he's satisfied, for now”  
“Kyia... I never knew”  
“Yeah, Su, I can be logical if I wanna be”  
“I apologise”  
“How much longer can we stay here, Su?” Korra asked concerned about Zuko's appearance  
“As long as you want... Now, girls, you can go back to whatever it was you were doing... Kuvira was amused when she came to tell me you would be coming to see me, so long as you're happy and making good use of your time here”  
“Thanks, Su” Asami was blushing furiously, she then led the others away and outside. “Since you really are a bender, I think we ought to do what we can to help you with your bending”  
“Thanks”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ;)


End file.
